Purity of Soul
by Celtic Guardian 7
Summary: Rumors of Pokémon going insane have reached a secluded island. Worried of what might result from this, a group sets out to find the source and put an end to it.
1. Lost

Talk about a writer's block. I just have not been able to focus on my other stories. So I finally started up this one, something I have wanted to write for some time now. I will alternate writing this one and TW. Enjoy.

**Chapter One: Lost**

She was in a world of darkness, one where she was the only inhabitant. Here everything was quiet, something she felt she should appreciate. But why prefer this silence? Was there no loneliness here?

It felt like she was there forever before the two figures appeared. They were hazy at first, hard to make out, and then her vision sharpened. The one to the left was a blue creature on all fours. Silver spikes produced from its sides and head, matching armor with a blue jewel covered its chest, and its red eyes pierced her. The one to the right was light purple and stood on its back legs. Dark lines formed odd patterns on its body while two wing-like items came from its shoulders. Though its eyes were smaller, they were also red.

She tried to speak, to ask who they were. Not a sound came from her though, as if she had forgotten how to talk, or to even form a thought. Then she realized that the dark around her was shifting, altering… the creatures were vanishing in a whirl of colors… and she was falling… falling… falling…

…And with a gasp, she sat up.

Breathing heavily and her heart pounding, the girl looked around the room she was in. White walls surrounded her, a window covered with a curtain was nearby, and a nightstand was by the bed she lay on, but there was nothing else of note. It made for a startling contrast to the darkness she had been in.

"Where… am I?" she whispered. Her throat felt dry and it was hard to make out the words, like she had not spoken for a long time. She was still trying to figure out the answer to her question when another one hit her brutally. "_Who_ am I?"

Not a memory remained for her. She could not recall who she was, where she was, or what she was doing here. She felt panic rising and tried her best to force it away. _I have to know… I can't have forgotten who I am! That's impossible…_

Straining her mind desperately, she mentally heard an echo, as if from a very long distance away. _Kyra_…

Though unsure of where that came from, she sighed in relief. "Yes. Kyra. That's my name. I can't believe I nearly forgot that…"

The empty room offered no response, and she knew she would receive no explanations from remaining there. She hesitatingly tried to stand but nearly fell over in the process, her legs weaker than she thought possible. Quickly sitting down on the edge, she rubbed her pounding head as she softly said, "What's… happened to me?"

It took some time for her to feel confident enough to try again. She managed to stay up this time and stumbled to the window. Drawing aside the curtains, she swiftly covered her eyes with a hand as the glaring sunlight entered the room. After blinking several times, she unshielded her eyes and looked again.

Outside Kyra saw many trees in what looked like a forest. Greenery was everywhere. Rays from the sun traced shadowy patterns on the grassy ground. When she opened the window, a playful wind caressed her, the first she had felt what seemed like a long time.

"This place doesn't look familiar at all," Kyra said to herself. "Maybe… whoever owns this house would know. I don't think it's mine. Surely I would recognize my own home?"

Despite deciding she would need to look for another person, Kyra remained at the window and absorbed the sights. It felt so good to be seeing light again that she was reluctant to leave it.

Later, she would be thankful that she had not left, for otherwise she would have missed the high-pitched cry coming from the forest. Kyra froze, completely startled and unsure if she had really heard it. Another cry dispelled any disbeliefs she had.

Without thinking, Kyra vaulted out of the open window. She landed safely, being only on the first story and encountering soft soil. Then she went running towards the source of the noise.

The trip was short but difficult for her to make. The outfit she was wearing-which when she looked she found to be a white, sleeveless dress-was not good for running in, and left her arms exposed to random branches. She also lacked shoes, resulting in several sharp pains from other branches on the ground. Despite that, she kept going, determined to find who was in trouble.

She soon came to a clearing that showed her a terrible sight. A teenage boy was there, wearing a red shirt, jeans, having black hair, and with a smirk that rose to his brown eyes. Standing in front of him was a bizarre creature that Kyra had never seen the likes of. It looked like a white furball with brown arms and legs, the arms ending in boxing glove-like fists. A pig-like snout was beneath its narrowed eyes, and its triangular ears stood stiffly up.

What really caught her attention was the third being there. It looked like a small, brown puppy with a fluffy tail that had a tip of white at the end. White fur formed a collar of sorts around its neck, but it was now matted in dirt and blood, as was the rest of its body. It lay limply on the ground with its long ears drooped and its black eyes half-closed.

The boy did not seem to notice Kyra. He said to the creature before him, "Now, Primeape, finish off the stupid thing!"

"Primeape!" the creature responded, advancing towards the downed one. It watched him fearfully and managed to whimper something that sounded like, "Eevee…"

"Stop!" Kyra shouted, running towards the puppy. She lifted it and covered it with her arms.

It looked up at her in surprise, and was not the only one. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the boy snapped, and the Primeape appeared no happier.

"Leave the poor thing alone!" Kyra said, pressing it close to her. "What did it ever do to you?"

"It existed, that's what! Wild Poke'mon are made for us to beat up. If lucky, they faint and we move on. If not, they die. Simple as that," the boy said as if it was obvious. "And we get stronger in the process. How could you not know that?"

Kyra stared at him. "How cruel is that? You would be willing to kill someone just to get a little stronger?"

"Of course! And if you won't get out of the way, you'll be next!" The boy pointed at her. "This is your last chance. Drop it and leave, or else I won't hold back!"

Though clearly afraid, Kyra shook her head. "No. I'm not going to let you hurt it."

"Then we have no choice! Primeape, attack her! Low Kick!" the boy snarled. The Primeape ran towards Kyra and lunged.

It looked impossible for him to miss, yet he was abruptly stopped by a brown blur smashing into him. The Primeape went tumbling back as another creature landed in front of Kyra. It looked like a large bird with yellow and pink tail and head feathers. It gave a triumphant cry of, "Pidgeotto!"

"What's the meaning of this?" the boy demanded, staring behind Kyra. She turned to see a man standing there. He wore a white coat, had dark gray hair, and blue eyes that were gazing at the boy sternly.

"You would attack a human simply to get at that Pokémon? For shame! I suggest you leave at once, or we will make you," the man said. The bird seemed to be in agreement, for it flapped its wings and screeched.

"Bah! You're lucky you happened to have a flying type on you," the boy spat. "Primeape, return!" He held out a red and white ball. A red beam emerged from it to form around the Primeape. It turned into red light and vanished into the ball. "This wasn't worth my time anyway." He stomped off without looking back.

"Trainers these days…" the man said, shaking his head in disapproval. He walked over to Kyra. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes, thank you," Kyra said shakily. She held out the puppy. "But this one is not."

The man looked at it carefully and appeared startled. "An Eevee! I never would have thought to see a wild one around these parts. They are very rare."

"Can you help it?" Kyra asked.

"Certainly. Let's return to my home. By the way, my name is Professor Cedar. What is yours?" he inquired.

"Kyra," she said before glancing at the bird.

He caught her look. "That is Elsu, a good friend of mine. He's a Pidgeotto."

"That's the third of these… creatures… I've seen so far," Kyra said. "What are they?"

Professor Cedar gave her an incredulous look. "You mean you don't know what Pokémon are?"

"Sorry, but I don't," Kyra said with a flush.

"…Well, I'll explain once we get back," Professor Cedar said. "We should take care of that Eevee first."

"Yeah…" Kyra said. She followed him out of the clearing as Elsu took flight, leaving them.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the house Kyra had left. She said in surprise, "This is your home?"

"Yes." He opened the door and let her in before entering himself. Then he led her through the hallways until they came to a room that had a metal table and several bottles, vials, and needles around. "Lay the Eevee on that table."

Kyra did so. Afterwards, the professor handed her a bottle. "If you didn't know what Pokémon are, I doubt you would recognize a Potion. Spray it onto the wounds." He turned to the Eevee and said, "This will sting a little, but it will help you heal."

A bit hesitant but wanting to help, Kyra placed a hand on the Eevee gently before spraying the Potion. The Eevee yelped several times before it was depleted, but in the end, all of the wounds closed and it appeared fully healed.

"There we go. Not too bad, was it?" Professor Cedar said.

The Eevee stood up carefully and wagged its tail at him before jumping into Kyra's arms. Though startled, she was delighted and petted the Eevee happily.

"Let me see it for a moment." Professor Cedar took the Eevee and examined it. "This is a female," he remarked, handing her back to Kyra.

"She's very cute," Kyra said. She looked a little sad as she said, "That guy called this a wild Pokémon. So that means she has to go back, right?"

The Eevee squeaked and nuzzled close to her. Professor Cedar laughed at that. "Normally, yes, but I don't think she wants to. You did save her after all, and were even willing to risk yourself for her sake. That's not something to be taken lightly."

"So… she wants to… stay with me?" Kyra asked.

"That's right. Pokémon can be caught and kept with people," Professor Cedar explained. "For instance, I caught Elsu when he was a Pidgey. He has stayed with me ever since. Most Pokémon have to be battled so they are weakened, and then they will stay inside a Poké Ball, which looks like the device that boy used. You saw it, right?"

"Yes." Kyra looked at the Eevee again. "Are they all right with living in a confined space like that?"

"Certainly. It does not hurt them at all. Some prefer to stay out more often though." Professor Cedar stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There are exceptions to what I was saying though. This is one of them. If a Pokémon is willing to join you, I would say it is a good idea to accept."

"I'd love to! Thank you, Eevee," Kyra said. The Eevee wagged her tail in response.

"You can also give Pokémon nicknames," Professor Cedar added. "Such as I did with Elsu. Would you like to call her something?"

"Um…" Kyra pondered a moment and gazed at the Eevee. "How about… Ameratsu? Ammy for short?" She yipped and licked her in response. Kyra laughed. "Okay, Ammy it is!"

"Now we should talk." Professor Cedar eyed her up and down. "Actually, before we do that, you might want to take a bath. No offense meant, but you need one."

Kyra looked down at herself to find she had acquired quite a bit of dirt and several shallow cuts from running through the forest. Completely embarrassed, she said, "I think you're right. If you don't mind…"

"This way." He brought her to a door. "I'll find some spare clothes for you. My daughter was about your age before she left, so some of hers should work."

"Thanks." Kyra hurriedly entered before she could feel more awkward.

It turned out Ammy needed a good cleaning as well, so she scrubbed the filth from her fur before taking her own bath. Ammy seemed to enjoy it. She remained still and dignified during the process, something that surprised Kyra. She had expected the Eevee to dislike it.

When she was done, Kyra found that Professor Cedar had kept to his word and left some clothes outside. She dressed in front of a mirror and looked over herself. Now she wore a more practical outfit of a pale purple shirt and dark purple skort, along with black fingerless gloves. To her relief, she recognized her black hair, which went to her shoulders in waves, and blue eyes. Unlike her lost memories, her appearance felt familiar.

Carrying Ammy, she walked through the halls until coming across the living room. A few chairs and a couch were there, as well as a television that Professor Cedar was watching. He shut it off when he saw she had entered. "There you are. How do the clothes fit?"

"Fine, thank you." Kyra sat on the chair across from him with Ammy in her lap.

"One more thing before we talk." Professor Cedar picked up a Poké Ball and handed it to her. "Use this on Ammy. That way she will officially be yours."

Kyra looked at the ball and hesitated, but Ammy did not seem to object. "Okay then… what do I do?"

"The ball has to make contact with a Pokémon to catch it. That is usually done with throwing. This time, you could probably just drop it on her," Professor Cedar suggested.

"All right." She did so. The ball opened and sucked Ammy. It shook once, and then went still.

"Sometimes Pokémon can break out if they are not weakened enough," Professor Cedar said. "You can let her out again if you want. Call her out. Throwing it would work as well, but I would prefer you didn't in here from the fear of you breaking my TV."

Kyra did so, and Ammy came out at once, saying, "Eevee!" She curled up in her lap again.

"There you have it. Pressing the button on the ball will shrink it down in size. You can attach it to your belt then." Kyra attempted to and found that it indeed did. "You can have up to six Pokémon with you at a time. If you got more than that, they would be sent to whichever professor started you on your journey. In your case, they would be sent to me."

"My journey?" Kyra asked.

"Pokémon trainers tend to go on journeys," Professor Cedar said. "They find more Pokémon to catch, trainers to battle, and challenges to overcome. It helps strengthen both the trainer and his or her Pokémon. Most trainers get a starter Pokémon from their professor, though it will not be necessary in your case thanks to Ammy."

A bit nervous now, Kyra said, "So you think I will be going on a journey too?"

"I was assuming you would. Most people your age become Pokémon trainers. Then again, you have never heard of them…" Professor Cedar mused. Looking a bit grim, he said, "I found you three days ago. You were lying a short distance from my home. Where did you come from?"

Kyra looked away. "I'm sorry. I… I don't know. My memories… all I could remember was my name…"

Professor Cedar sighed. "I am sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, I have no idea of how to help you. But if you found where you came from, maybe that would help. I will not object to you staying here if you want to, yet I think it would be best if you went on a journey to find out more about yourself."

"I see…" Kyra looked at Ammy. "What do you think?"

"Eevee!" she said, wagging her tail in response.

"I guess that's a yes. Um, do all Pokémon say their names like that?" Kyra asked.

"Yes, most do. There are very few exceptions, though I have heard of some," Professor Cedar said. His eyes darkened as he said, "Actually, there is another reason I want you to go."

"What is it?" Kyra said.

"We live on an island, one secluded from most of the world," Professor Cedar stated. "Thus we are out of contact. However, we have been hearing rumors from the continents. Apparently wild Poke'mon have been going insane lately."

"Insane?" Kyra said. Ammy's ears drooped.

"That is the best word for it. Most of the time, wild Poke'mon will leave you alone if you leave them alone. But these ones…" He shook his head. "They attack anyone they can find. These are Poke'mon that will kill if possible. It is beyond belief, yet… since you are going to the main land anyway, I was hoping you could check." He handed her a red and black device with a screen. "This is a Poké Gear. You can contact people with it and get information on Pokémon using it. My number is already in there. I would like you to keep in touch. In exchange, I will try to help you along and will keep any Pokémon that go beyond your limit of six."

"Okay. Thank you for all of your help," Kyra said, sliding it away.

Professor Cedar smiled faintly. "I am happy to do what I can. You should wait until tomorrow to leave though. You just woke up, after all."

"That sounds good," Kyra replied. "Do you have any books on Pokémon? I would like to learn more about them."

"Of course." He waved his hand at a bookshelf nearby. "There are plenty there. Feel free to read any of them."

"Thanks." Kyra set Ammy on the arm of her chair before going to scan the bookshelf. Professor Cedar left the room.

The rest of the day was spent reading up on Pokémon with Ammy. She was amazed at how many there were reported to be-at least 493-and their diversity. She tried her best to remember important factors on battling, such as strengths and weaknesses Pokémon had. It was hard to keep everything in mind though, so she was left feeling quite nervous despite all she had read.

After eating dinner with the professor, she was given a nightshirt and shown back to her bedroom. She got into bed with Ammy lying next to her on her pillow. The last thought she had before falling asleep was, _What_ _have I gotten myself into?_

To be continued…


	2. Learning the Ropes

This is turning out to be quite fun so far.

**Chapter Two: Learning the Ropes**

"_Doctor… has anything changed?"_

"_I am sorry, but no. Your daughter is still…"_

"_Oh, God…"_

"_I will do everything in my power to help her. You have my word."_

Kyra's eyes flashed open with the words still running through her head. She had been in the dark world again, but this time she had heard two voices and had seen nobody. Though she tried to figure it out, she was soon interrupted by Ammy nuzzling against her arm and giving a soft bark.

"Good morning," Kyra said with a smile as she pet her. "Ready to head out?"

Ammy wagged her tail in response and leapt off the bed. Kyra got up and dressed herself quickly. She was relieved to see that she felt much stronger than yesterday. After picking up Ammy and putting her on her shoulder, she headed outside.

Professor Cedar was in the kitchen, setting out plates for breakfast. He gave them both a smile as they entered. "You both look far better today. How do you feel?"

"Great, thanks!" Kyra said, taking a seat. Ammy yipped in response.

"Excellent." He flipped pancakes onto the plates as he said, "I have packed a few things into a backpack for you, such as food that will last for a few days, some Potions, and Poké Balls. There is also enough money for a ferry ride to the continent."

"Thank you. I really appreciate everything you have done for me," Kyra said. She started to eat one of the pancakes while tearing the other into bite-sized pieces for Ammy. She gobbled them down happily.

"Do you think you have a grasp on what Pokémon are like?" Professor Cedar asked, appearing concerned.

"A good enough one. I'll learn the rest as I go," Kyra said.

"All right then. Also, if you ever get lost, remember that you can call me. Your Poké Gear also has a map in it," Professor Cedar told her. "Make use of it."

"I will!" She soon finished eating and stood up. "Well, I had best be off."

"Hold on." He pushed back his chair and rose as well. "I am going to walk you to the nearest city."

"Oh, thanks," Kyra said, looking relieved. "I wasn't sure how to get there."

"The Poké Gear map is not made for specific areas, so yes, it would probably be best that I brought you there." He went towards the door with Kyra following.

When they went outside, Kyra caught sight of Elsu roosting on a nearby tree top. She asked, "Is Elsu your only Pokémon?"

"Oh, no. I have many more. I tend to let them explore most of the time though," Professor Cedar said. "When something arises, I'll call one to help out, like I did for Elsu yesterday."

"I see." Kyra scratched Ammy behind the ears and received a squeak in response. "I can't believe what that guy was saying. Wild Pokémon only existing to be beaten up… that's ridiculous…"

"Pokémon are just as important and intelligent as humans," Professor Cedar said with his eyes narrowed. "It is despicable that some people think that way. Thankfully, there are only a few from what I know. Most people respect Pokémon for what they are."

Kyra nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."

Their pleasant walk lasted roughly ten minutes before they came in sight of civilization. A sign nearby said, _Welcome to Jasper_ _City!_

"This is where I leave you," Professor Cedar said. He held out a hand, which Kyra shook. "It was a pleasure to be able to help you get started on this journey."

"Thanks again for everything," Kyra said. "I'll call you if I find out anything."

"Please do. Until then." Professor Cedar smiled a last time before walking back towards his home.

"I guess we're on our own now, Ammy," Kyra remarked. Ammy barked in agreement.

While they walked through the streets, Kyra noticed several children playing with different types of Pokémon. Some were common ones that she recognized from the books she had read, such as the Rattata that a boy chased after and the Oddish a girl tossed a ball to. Others she did not. A turtle-like Pokémon with a brown shell that had several holes, along with a yellow neck and feet, was a Shuckle according to her Poké Gear.

"I guess we still have a lot to learn," Kyra said to Ammy, who tilted her head.

When they reached the town square, they found a crowd had gathered there. Standing in the center with a good amount of space were two people facing each other. One was a young adult who wore a light brown trenchcoat over a red shirt and brown pants. He had a pair of hiking boots on, a small travel pack over his shoulder, and a belt with three Poké Balls on each side. His blond hair was cut short, and he had sharp green eyes that contrasted his calm smile. Next to him was an orange puppy with black stripes and white fur near its head, neck, and belly. It was watching the other person avidly, as was his trainer.

What looked to be his opponent chilled Kyra. His vest, pants, and boots were black while he had a brown cape. A black bowler hat covered most of his short, blond hair, while his green eyes were hard. Though he shared traits with the man, he looked to be in his late teens and was slightly taller. He carried a brown cane that he was currently leaning on.

"Must we battle?" the man was saying. His Pokémon barked in agreement. "You don't have to beat someone to prove how good you are."

Kyra quickly checked her Poké Gear to find that his puppy was a Growlithe. "What do you think, Ammy?" she whispered. Ammy whined nervously, ears back.

"What's the matter? Scared of meeting my Pokémon?" the teenager said.

The man sighed. "Just because I don't want to fight doesn't mean I can't. Let's get this over with. My name is Jason."

"Joph, not that it matters," the teenager said in a bored tone. "Send out your first Pokémon."

_This will be… the first real battle I ever see…_ Kyra realized. "Want to watch?" she asked Ammy. She nodded.

"All right. Let's go with the usual one! Crest, come on out!" Jason said, tossing a Poké Ball. A yellowish-brown creature popped out. He had whiskers that fell quite low, a bushy tail, and carried a spoon in his right, clawed hand. Kyra's Poké Gear informed her that this was a Kadabra, a Psychic Pokémon that was quite powerful.

"Geist, you know the drill," Joph said. In response, a purple creature came flying out of his chest. It looked like a floating head with two levitating hands. Several members of the crowd gasped at the strange method of bringing out a Pokémon. Kyra was one of them, and barely noticed her Poké Gear informing her that it was a Haunter.

"Is he nuts?" a man near her said. "A Haunter against a Kadabra? That thing'll get KO'd instantly!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," a woman replied. "They are strong against each other, so it could really go either way."

While the people murmured amongst themselves, Jason made the first attack order. "Crest, Confusion!"

"Geist, Nightshade!" Joph said.

A barrage of colors flew out of Crest to slam into Geist. The Ghost seemed shaken, but managed to respond with an attack that made the air surrounding Crest turn black. It left him badly hurt.

"Finish it, Geist! Shadow Punch!" Joph commanded.

Geist reached back and then slammed forward with one of its floating fists, now glowing black. Just before he made contact, Jason said, "Teleport! Then Psybeam!"

Crest vanished, leaving the punch to hit the air harmlessly. He appeared behind Geist and held up a spoon. A multi-colored beam came out of it, tearing into Geist. He fell over with Xs for eyes.

"That's enough," Joph said, holding out a Poké Ball. The Haunter was recalled to it. "Not a bad beginning, but can you keep it up?" He placed another Poké Ball on his cane handle and swung it. "Coupe!"

Out of it came a red and black bug-like Pokémon. Its body seemed to be made of metal, except for its white wings. Two pinchers clacked threateningly towards Crest.

"A Scizor…" Kyra said softly, looking at her Poké Gear.

"Coupe, Quick Attack!" Joph said. Before Crest could react, Coupe darted towards him and slashed him with his open pinchers. Crest fell to the ground.

"Crest, return!" Jason recalled him at once and then brought out another Poké Ball. "Funny you should bring out that. Check out who else I have! Blur, you're up!"

The Pokémon that emerged looked similar to the Scizor, except that his body was green and his arms were scythes. Kyra quickly learned that it was because this Pokémon, Scyther, evolved into Scizor.

"Blur, Swords Dance!" Jason said. Fitting to his name, Blur moved extremely fast in a crazy dance, his blades slicing through the air.

"Wing Attack!" Joph ordered. Coupe took to the air and darted down, cutting into Blur with his wings. Blur staggered from the hit.

"Now, Slash!" both of the trainers yelled. They held out their arms and flew towards each other. Their attacks connected at the same time, and they both fell. Though they seemed surprised at the tie, Jason and Joph called their Pokémon back.

"So they're back to square one…" Kyra said. Ammy watched tensely.

"I'll go with Raph next!" Jason said, tossing out another Poké Ball. A blue turtle with a brown shell emerged. A light-blue tail emerged from the back which matched his pointed ears, and fangs emerged from the sides of his mouth. This one Kyra recognized without having to look him up; it was a Wartortle.

Joph placed another Poké Ball on his cane and swung it. "Solardark!" This one had black fur with blue skin showing near its back haunches and round ears. Its tail ended in a yellow star. The Poké Gear informed Kyra that this was a Luxray, a Pokémon in its third form.

"Charge!" Joph said. Kyra expected it to go barreling at Raph, but instead it seemed to be gathering energy.

"Raph, try a Water Gun!" Jason said. Raph spat out a stream of water that collided with Solardark.

"You're powerful enough now! Thunder Fang!" Joph commanded. Solardark ran towards Ralph with its teeth bared and bit at him. Electricity came from his bite with so much power that it caused the Water Pokémon to faint instantly.

"Nice try, Raph!" Jason said, recalling him. "Buddy, it's your turn!" A gray Pokémon with a roughly humanoid body structure emerged. Kyra knew this was a Machop, one of the more common Fighting types.

"Solardark, Spark!" In response, Solardark began to crackle with electric energy. He lunged towards Buddy.

"Give him a Karate Chop, Buddy!" Jason said. Buddy braced himself as Solardark came and shot out with his hand at just the right moment. Though Solardark was thrown back from the blow, the electricity still consumed Buddy, tossing him away. He slowly got up, and then froze.

"Paralysis…" Jason said worriedly.

"Finish him, Solardark! Tackle!" Joph said. Solardark charged towards Buddy and sent him flying with a powerful blow. He landed with a brutal thud and did not rise again.

"All right Buddy, come on back!" Jason tossed out another Poké Ball afterwards. "Trace, it's up to you!" This time, a porcupine creature that stood on two legs emerged, with a light-brown body and dark brown spikes. Large, white claws emerged from its front paws. The Poké Gear was quick to inform Kyra that this was a Sandslash.

"A Ground type…" Joph muttered. "Solardark, Bite!"

"Trace, Defense Curl, quickly!" Jason called.

For a moment, it looked to be too late. Yet somehow Trace managed to curl into a ball just in time. Solardark bit onto him, only to let go with a yelp from the spikes.

"Now Trace, Rollout!" Jason said. Trace spun towards Solardark swiftly, slamming it with his spiky body. Solardark yelped at the hit. He was unable to react as Trace rolled towards him again and hit him full-force, which ended him.

"Return," Joph said, not appearing disturbed by the loss. Solardark vanished. Joph lifted another Poké Ball and looked at it before shaking his head. "No. Not for this battle." He put it back and selected another to put on his cane. "Mina!"

Out came a purple star with a red jewel in the middle. It had four spikes at its back as well, giving it nine in all. Apparently it was a Starmie, and Jason looked worried at once.

"Mina, Surf!" Joph said. A high tidal wave emerged from Mina to consume Trace. It squealed in pain, apparently very hurt by it, and then slumped to the ground.

"No more, Trace! Come back!" Once Jason had recalled him, he looked at his final Pokémon, the Growlithe. "…There's no way Ace can stand against that. I… surrender."

"Declined," Joph said flatly. "Mina, finish the coward's Pokémon with Surf."

Ace ran forward despite Jason's cry of, "No, don't!" He hit the Surf head-on and was swept away with a howl, landing at Jason's feet in a crumpled heap. Jason knelt beside him to check his condition.

There was a silence, and then a crowd member near the front shouted, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!" At that, applause came from the audience, enthused by the match they had witnessed.

"Good. Return." Joph recalled Mina. He said to Jason, "I am surprised you defeated half of my team. You were worth fighting. If you ever have an urge to face Team Rocket…"

"I have other things to do," Jason said tightly. "Like tending to my Pokémon."

Joph shrugged. "As you will." He walked away, tapping his cane as he went.

The crowd soon dispersed, which left Kyra with a clear path to Jason. She took it, and when she came to him, asked, "Will he be okay?"

Jason looked up in surprise. "Oh, yes, I think so. He's been through worse. Ace, get some rest." He recalled him and stood up. "Thanks for the concern though. Who might you be?"

"I'm Kyra, and this is Ammy," she replied. Ammy barked a greeting.

"Pleased to meet you both," Jason said, smiling. "I'm Jason, and I'm assuming you saw my Pokémon while we battled."

"They were incredible!" Kyra said. "Your battling skills are amazing!"

Jason laughed. "You must not have seen many battles if you thought that was good. Still, thanks for the compliment. How about coming with me? I have to go to a Pokémon Center."

"That place where you get your Pokémon healed?" Kyra said.

"Yep." He nodded. "Up for it?"

"Sure!"

As they walked, Kyra said, "Where did you get your Pokémon?"

"All over the place," Jason answered. "Ace was a gift from my parents. I trained him while at home, but I pushed him far too hard. When I realized that, I decided to make battling a hobby rather than an ambition. The rest I picked up while traveling." He laughed again. "Crest I found as an Abra. He had fallen asleep from a gang of Jigglypuff and was about to be drawn on."

"Drawn on?" Kyra said, blinking. Ammy shuddered.

"Yeah. Deadly little things, Jigglypuffs are. If you fall asleep, they might use markers on you," Jason said, grinning. "Anyway, I saved him, so he stuck around and evolved into a Kadabra later. Buddy I found and caught after a good fight. He got along really well with Crest, which is why I nicknamed him as I did. Raph was similar. On a trip to an island, I found him in the water and managed to catch him. Then came Blur." He shook his head. "A trainer had beaten him up for the fun of it. I helped him get better, and he stuck with me afterwards."

"That sounds like how I got Ammy…" Kyra said.

"Kindness towards Pokémon pays off," Jason said. "As for Trace, he was my final one. I found a group of Sandshrew and shared some food with them. He just stuck around, perhaps for the free meals! Later he evolved."

"You got them through a large variety of ways then," Kyra said.

"I sure did. They're some of my best friends." Jason sighed. "That's why I try not to get them to fight too much. Why do that when we could be having fun in ways that don't involve them getting hurt? Still, when we have to, we do. Joph apparently thought I was a strong trainer and challenged me."

By this time, they had arrived at a large building with a red top and sliding glass doors. Once they entered and went to the counter, a pink-haired woman in a nurse outfit behind it said, "Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?"

"Please." Jason handed over his six Poké Balls.

The nurse turned to a machine behind her with six slots. After placing the Poké Balls in them, she activated the machine. It flashed and made a chiming noise. She gave them back to Jason, saying, "Your Pokémon are fully healed! We hope to see you again."

"Thanks," Jason said before heading out. Kyra followed him there. Once they arrived outside, Jason asked her, "So, what are your plans?"

"I was going to catch a ferry to go to the continent," Kyra said. "There have been rumors about Pokémon going insane, so I thought I would check."

Jason frowned slightly. "I've heard that. Hm… wonder if I should look myself…"

An explosion drowned out anything else he was about to say. They looked towards the source to see smoke rising from a building a distance away.

"Uh-oh! I don't know what caused that, but it can't be good!" Jason said. "Let's see if we can help!"

"Okay!" Kyra agreed. With that, they went running towards the building.

When they got close to it, a fire was clearly visible. People were running around in a panic, and none seemed to be tending to it. Jason grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt. "I'm going to try and help with Raph. Do you have any Water Pokémon?"

"Sorry, Ammy's my only one," Kyra said.

"Then you should stay back. I'll return after doing this!" Jason went running towards the building.

Kyra looked around the street she stood on and realized that if she remained where she was, she would probably get trampled by the fleeing people. She started to go to the other side when she saw something. Lying on the edge of the street was a Poké Ball. Nobody else seemed to notice it, walking right by.

Ammy whined curiously as Kyra lifted it. "I can't believe someone dropped a Pokémon…" Kyra said sadly. Then she said, "Maybe it's empty. Let's get a good distance away from the crowd and see."

They went into an alley nearby. Once there, Kyra tossed the ball towards the ground. A red light came from it, and to her shock, formed into a Pokémon that looked identical to Ammy.

"Another Eevee?" she managed to say.

The Eevee looked around, apparently confused, and then growled at Kyra and backed away with his fur up. Before getting very far, Ammy leapt down and began to chatter to him earnestly. The Eevee paused, considering what she said, and then slowly walked forward and sniffed at her.

"It's all right," Kyra said, speaking softly to avoid alarming it. "I want to help you. Your trainer must have dropped you by accident. I'll try to help you find him or her."

The Eevee looked at her suspiciously, but before it could do anything else, a voice behind her said, "So that's where he got to."

She turned to see a man who looked to be Joph's age standing there. He wore a brown poncho over a maroon t-shirt and black leather pants, along with black shoes and gloves that had metal studs on the knuckles. On his left arm was a shoulder-length black gauntlet with red lining. A brown sombrero covered his face, but he pushed it back slightly to reveal short red hair and his right blue eye. His left one was covered with an eyepatch, giving him a grim appearance.

The Eevee snarled at the man and backed away. Seeing his reaction, Kyra quickly got in front of him.

"Trying to steal him from me?" the man said. He brought out a Poké Ball. "You don't want to get in my way."

"He doesn't like you," Kyra said, frightened but trying not to show it. "So I won't let you take him!"

"Noble," the man remarked. "But can you back up your talk?" He tossed the Poké Ball. From it emerged an orange monkey with a flaming tail.

_A Chimchar, I think…_ Kyra recalled from her readings yesterday. _A Fire type, so neither of us should have an advantage… I didn't want my first battle to be like this, but… _"Ammy, are you ready?" Ammy leapt forward and growled at the Chimchar.

"Wukong, Scratch!" At that, the Chimchar ran towards Ammy with its claws bared.

"Ammy!" _What moves does she know, what moves does she know… oh! _"Sand Attack!"

Hearing the command, Ammy turned and kicked a pawful of sand into Wukong's eyes. It screeched and rubbed them fitfully.

"Now that's just annoying," the man said. "Wukong, Taunt!"

Wukong turned and slapped its rear end a few times. Ammy snarled, eyes blazing with anger, and charged towards him.

"Ember!" Wukong responded by sending out a flame towards Ammy. However, his aim was still off by the previous Sand Attack, and Ammy managed to dodge. She slammed into Wukong to send him tumbling.

"Good, Ammy!" _That was… _"Do it again! Um… Tackle him!"

Before Ammy could follow through with it, they heard someone from near the front of the alley. "What's going on down there?"

"Damn it!" the man growled. "Cops. I'm not about to put up with this. Wukong, return!" After recalling him, the man ran forward and grabbed Kyra's arm to pull her along.

"Hey! Let me go!" Kyra protested, but she was unable to break free. Ammy and the other Eevee hurried after them.

They kept running until reaching the edge of town, and then the forest. Finally the man released Kyra. She backed away at once as both Ammy and the other Eevee got between them, barking and snarling at the man.

"I wanted to make sure there were no witnesses," the man stated. He looked at the Eevee and shook his head. "Well, it's clear he's not about to listen to me. So I suppose you can keep him, much as it annoys me."

"Huh? So he really was your Pokémon?" Kyra said.

"Not exactly. I don't really feel like explaining. Just know that he's yours now," the man said.

Kyra looked towards the Eevee. "Is that okay with you?"

The Eevee looked up at her, then at Ammy, and barked once. Ammy licked him in response.

"I guess that's a yes. As for a name…" Kyra considered for a moment. "How about… Tsukuyomi? Tsuku for short."

Tsuku tilted his head, and then barked shortly.

"He's not as friendly as Ammy…" Kyra mused. Then she said to the man, "Who are you, anyway?"

"Oh. My name is Grisom," he said.

"I'm Kyra, and that's Ammy. What was your Pokémon called again?" Kyra asked.

"Son Wukong, Wukong for short." Grisom paused. "Hold any other thoughts you have, kiddo."

"Kiddo?" Kyra muttered, but she watched as he turned and threw his Poké Ball. Out came Wukong, who looked at him inquiringly.

"Wukong, climb up that tree and use Scratch," Grisom said.

The monkey eagerly climbed up. A moment later, a screech sounded, and a small bird with gray and black feathers came falling down. It barely managed to take flight, but Wukong leapt from the tree to pounce on it.

"What are you doing?" Kyra exclaimed.

"Catching a wild Pokémon. I can't have Wukong doing all of my work for me. He's the only one I have right now." Grisom brought out a Pokéball and tossed it at the bird. It vanished in a red light. The ball shook once, and then the bird popped out. The ball went flying back to Grisom's hand.

"Damn it, I hate it when they're stubborn," Grisom grumbled. He threw it again, only to have it escape on the second shake. The third time was the charm. It finally stayed inside, allowing Grisom to walk over and throw it. The bird came out and looked around.

"It's a Starly. Pretty common Bird type Pokémon," Grisom explained to Kyra. "I'll call him Aves. Needless to say, he seems like a stubborn one."

Aves flapped its wings to fly to Grisom's shoulder and perched on it, chirping. Kyra said, "I'm surprised he likes you after what you did to him."

"It depends on the Pokémon. Some are more forgiving than others." He recalled both of his Pokémon. "Anyway, back to what we were talking about. You seem to be a new trainer, so here's what I suggest. I'll stick with you and help you along."

"What do you gain from that?" Kyra said suspiciously.

"I do gain something, but I don't want to tell you yet," Grisom said with a mischievous smile. "Trust me; even though I only have two Pokémon, I'm experienced when it comes to them."

Kyra hesitated, and then asked Ammy and Tsuku, "What do you two think?" Ammy wagged her tail while Tsuku merely stared at her. "I guess that's a yes and an indifferent. Okay, we'll stick with you."

"Great. So where are you headed?" Grisom asked.

"The continent. I wanted to check into rumors about the insane Pokémon," Kyra explained.

Grisom looked interested at that. "Insane Pokémon… I've heard of them myself. Now I'm really glad I'm coming. The docks are about a day's walk from here. Shall we be off?"

"Okay," Kyra said. She picked up both her Eevees and placed them on her shoulders. Ammy barked excitedly while Tsuku remained in stoic silence. Without further talk, they set off.

To be continued…


	3. Companions

Sorry, no witty remarks this time.

**Chapter Three: Companions**

The walk was pretty uneventful so far. They took a route in the forest that was near the wall of a cliff. Grisom seemed content to remain silent while Kyra was unsure of what to say to him. She took turns petting both of her Eevees, which Ammy seemed to enjoy and Tsuku did not react to. Though he had agreed to be with her, he still did not show much happiness about it.

Kyra finally broke the silence by saying, "So what were you doing before joining up with me?"

"Traveling. Doing business. Etcetera. I don't feel like elaborating," Grisom said.

"If you say so." She changed the subject. "How did you meet Wukong?"

"Again, I'd prefer not to tell. Sorry, but it's personal," Grisom said shortly. His expression softened a bit as he said, "So, going to have an army of Eevees?"

"What? Of course not!" Kyra exclaimed. "They're rare, aren't they? I was just lucky to find two of them."

"You never know," Grisom said with a slight smile. "Maybe you were destined to find them."

Kyra shook her head. "I doubt it. But I'm happy to have them." Ammy wagged her tail while Tsuku blinked.

"As you should be, kiddo," Grisom replied.

"Why do you call me that?" Kyra said, sounding more curious than annoyed.

"I tend to nickname people," Grisom explained. "Just something that comes naturally."

"Oh. I see." Kyra did not know what else to say, so she lapsed back into silence as they went on.

It was late afternoon when something else finally happened. Tsuku, who had been silent up to this point, let out a growl as they went by a fresh bunch of trees.

"What's wrong?" Kyra asked.

Grisom's eye narrowed. "Whoever is out there, show yourself."

In response, three men leapt out from behind the trees. They all wore casual clothes and each had a Poké Ball at their waist. One had blonde hair and green eyes, another had brown hair and blue eyes, and the final had black hair and hazel eyes.

"Too bad you caught on," the black-haired one, who was apparently their leader, said. "Oh well, it doesn't matter." He pointed at Grisom. "Akuji, you are to hand over the Purge at once. If you don't cooperate, we'll resort to force!"

"Akuji? Purge?" Kyra said, giving Grisom a confused look. "What is he talking about?"

Grisom responded to the man instead. "You think I can't defend myself against the likes of you?"

"It would be much better for you and your little girlfriend if you cooperated," the one to the right said.

"Girlfriend?" Kyra protested. "We just met!"

"I'm afraid you're not really succeeding at threatening me," Grisom said lightly. "Show me if you can back up your words or not."

"Fine!" the leader said as he pulled out his Poké Ball. The other two members did the same. Grisom produced one as well.

Before the battle could begin, they heard a cry from above. Looking up, all they managed to see was a purple blur before the source crashed into the blonde-haired member. He was thrown to the ground. On top of him laid a small girl with an odd appearance. She wore a purple shirt with oversized sleeves that left her shoulders exposed. A white shirt underneath covered some of her skin and went to her neck. Matching her larger shirt were her shorts and shoes. Her dark brown hair was in two braids, one falling from each side of her head, and they had two gold bands with red strings attached. To go with that was a gold crown-like object she wore.

"What the hell?" the brown-haired man said in disbelief.

"Ow…" the girl groaned, her green eyes flickering open and then shut again. "That… hurt…"

"Ignore her, she's not about to do anything!" the leader commanded. "We have to finish our mission!" He hurled his Poké Ball at them. "Go, Fang!"

A small, gray dog sprung out of the ball. Its face and paws were black, and it growled at them.

"Go, Batty!" the other one shouted. A blue bat with a gapping mouth and no eyes emerged. It let out a piercing screech.

"I'll take the Zubat, you get the Poochyena!" Grisom said, indicating to the ones he named. "Aves!" The Starly burst out in a flurry of feathers.

"Um…" Kyra looked at both her Eevees. "Tsuku, are you up for a battle?"

Tsuku leapt down from her shoulder and eyed Fang carefully. He seemed a bit wary, but willing to fight.

"Aves, Tackle him!" Grisom said.

"Batty, Supersonic!" its trainer called.

Aves struck first, sending Batty tumbling in the air. But he managed to recover quickly and released a high-pitched sound. In response, Aves' eyes became swirled and he had difficulty staying in the air.

Meanwhile, the leader said, "Use Howl!" Fang let loose a long howl that seemed to moralize him.

"Tsuku, Tackle!" Kyra said. He leapt forward to smash into Fang, who rolled across the ground. "Good! Now do it again!"

"Show him your own Tackle!" the leader said. The two Pokémon crashed into each other. Though Tsuku took a worse hit, Fang also appeared dazed.

"Aves, attack him again!" Grisom commanded. Unfortunately for him, Aves was still confused. He hit a tree headfirst in his attempts to stay up.

"Batty, Leech Life!" the member said. The Zubat latched his fangs around Aves' neck and began to suck out his blood.

"Snap out of it! Quick Attack!" Hearing Grisom, Aves managed to get into a right state of mind and sped out of the Zubat's grasp. He darted back and hit Batty fiercely.

"Tsuku, hang in there! Tackle!" Kyra said while Ammy barked encouragement. Tsuku struggled upright and hit Fang once more. The Poochyena tried to Tackle him in response, but Tsuku managed to jump out of the way.

"Damn it! Batty, Supersonic again!" its trainer said.

"Don't let him get it off!" Grisom ordered. "Quick Attack!"

The blow came before Batty could react. He fell to the ground, unable to go on. His trainer hissed a curse while recalling him.

"Finish him!" Kyra said. Tsuku lunged for a final time, causing Fang to collapse.

"N-no way…" the leader stammered as he brought his Pokémon back.

"It's over," Grisom said, stepping forward. "Still want to threaten us?"

Before either of them could respond, another Pokémon suddenly appeared. It looked like a purple ball with a face and a skull and crossbones sign beneath its mouth.

"Asthma, Smokescreen!" the man beneath the girl croaked. Smoke poured from Asthma, causing Kyra and Grisom to fall into a coughing fit. By the time it cleared, the three men were gone.

"Almost had them," Grisom sighed. "Damn Koffing. Oh well. Aves, good work. Return." Aves disappeared into its Poké Ball.

"You did wonderfully, Tsuku," Kyra said as she lifted him. He looked at her for a moment before crawling onto her shoulder again and remaining there.

Kyra approached the girl, who was slowly sitting up and moaning. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah… ow… thanks for asking…" She stood carefully. "I hate heights…"

"What happened?" Kyra asked.

"I was up there," she said, indicating to the top of the cliff. "Then I got attacked by some wild Pokémon. Hama fought them off, but I fell in the process."

"How did you manage to do that?" Grisom said.

"I'm a bit of a klutz," she admitted. "Oh, pardon me for not introducing myself. I'm Misya, and…" She looked around. "She must still be…"

At that moment, a gray Pokémon came floating down. It had thick hair-like tendrils that came from its head which were tipped in purple. Around its neck was something similar to red jewels that formed a necklace of sorts. A small, wooden ocarina hung from the center jewel.

"A Misdreavous…" Grisom said, looking startled.

"What's wrong?" Kyra said.

Grisom shook his head. "Nothing."

Misya gestured to her. "This is Hama. She has been helping me in my travels and is the only Pokémon I have right now." Hama moved close to her, as if to say that that was the way she wanted it to remain.

"She certainly seems loyal," Kyra said with a smile. "This is Ammy, and he's Tsuku. I just started traveling yesterday." Ammy barked a greeting while Tsuku eyed them carefully. "My name is Kyra, and this is Grisom."

"Nice to meet both of you," Misya said. She stepped forward with her hand stretched out, only to trip over a tree root and fall to the ground. "Ow…"

Grisom laughed. "That's it, I'm calling you walking disaster."

Misya got up and dusted herself off while throwing a scowl in Grisom's direction. "That's not very nice."

"Apparently he does it to everyone," Kyra said. "Um, sorry if this is rude to ask, but out of curiosity… aren't you a bit young to be a trainer?"

"I may look that way, but I can keep up with just about anyone in a battle," Misya declared.

"You'd be surprised at how young some trainers are," Grisom said. "Though not many go on an actual journey until they're older."

Kyra nodded and turned back to Misya. "So what are you planning on doing now?"

"I've been trying to find my way to a ferry that travels to the mainland," Misya explained. "Unfortunately, we've gotten pretty lost." Hama looked slightly exasperated at that.

"Then why not come with us? We're going there too," Kyra said.

"Really? That would be wonderful, thank you!" Misya said. Hama looked less than happy about the suggestion, but did not make an objection.

"Why are you headed there anyway?" Grisom inquired.

"I just wanted to get off the island," Misya said. "To see more of the world."

"Good enough reason," Kyra said. "Shall we go?"

"Let's," Grisom said. Misya nodded.

As they continued through the forest, Misya said, "By the way, who did I land on? I wanted to apologize to him."

"One of the men who was going to attack us," Grisom said. "No need to say sorry for it; you actually helped us."

"Who were they?" Kyra said, looking at Grisom. "Why did they call you Akuji? And what is a Purge?"

"It's better you didn't know," Grisom stated. "Trust me on this. We should be free of those men when we leave the island."

"All right…" Kyra said doubtfully. She changed the subject by speaking to Misya. "Why does Hama have an ocarina around her neck?"

"That's a good luck charm I gave her," Misya replied cheerfully. "I thought she could use it more than me."

Ammy barked at Hama, who responded readily. The two of them continued to chatter as the humans kept up their conversation.

"Are there any Pokémon you are particularly looking for?" Kyra asked.

"No, not really. I thought I'd pick up some as I went. What about you?" Misya said.

"I'm happy with these two," Kyra said, indicating to her Eevees. "But who knows? I might find some others soon. Grisom doesn't seem picky about what he catches."

"I'm not. If a Pokémon's strong, I'll try and nab it," Grisom said.

Tsuku's growled softly at his response. Kyra patted him as Misya said, "How far is it to the ferry?"

"We should arrive there by tomorrow morning," Grisom replied. "That's assuming that we stop when it gets dark, which I suggest we do."

"Sounds good to me," Misya said. Kyra quickly agreed.

-

The arrival of dusk was noticed by another group, one noticeably smaller. It consisted of a sole human and two Pokémon, which he spoke to. "Looks like it's time to set up camp."

Of the two there, one made a noise of agreement. He was a Ralts, a psychic Pokémon with a green head, two red spike-like objects on his head, closed eyes, and a white body. Though small in size, his powers were great. The other one was also a Ralts, but she was light pink and blue in color and much more quiet. She kept close to her trainer.

"This is as good of a spot as any," he said, indicating to the clearing. "If you want to explore, you should do so before it gets completely dark."

The green Ralts went towards the trees to see the area while the blue one sat down, looking exhausted. Noticing this, the trainer brought out a Poké Ball. "You should get some rest, Hinata." She gave him a grateful look before vanishing.

It took little time for him to make an area in the clearing comfortable for himself. As he removed branches and rocks, he muttered to himself, "Can't believe I forgot to bring those books. All I have are entertaining novels. I thought that's all I would need, but now I'm not so sure. It would be good to have some reference materials…"

A shrill cry sounded through the trees. In response came a squawk and then angry chattering.

"Oh great," he muttered, recognizing the first noise. "What has Neji gotten himself into this time?"

He hurriedly made his way over to where he could hear the racket. There he saw Neji trading blows with a small, orange bird. It had three head-feathers, tiny wings, and a beak that were all yellow, while its black, beady eyes were narrowed as it fought. Neji had a couple of scratches while the bird appeared weakened.

"A Torchic," he realized. Shaking his head, he approached the two of them. "Okay you two, break it up. There's no need for you to be fighting like this-"

He was cut off by a nearby explosion. The force of it knocked him to the ground, along with his backpack. A Poké Ball close to the top fell out of it and rolled away.

"What was that?" he said as he stood. "Neji, that came from where I was setting up camp. Let's check it out!" He scooped up his lost Poké Ball without looking before running towards the source. Neji followed him at once.

-

Kyra, Grisom, Misya, and their Pokémon were in the process of looking for a place to stay. This was easier said than done due to the size of their group and the lack of areas that would fit them. All of them were starting to get tired. Even the Eevees seemed exhausted due to walking a long part of the day and from their fights. Kyra had put them on her shoulders again, but that did not completely cure their weariness. Only Hama still seemed in a good state. She bobbed around Misya, who looked amused at her antics.

Grisom finally decided to bring out Aves and ordered him to look around. A few minutes later, the Bird Pokémon had found a good clearing for them.

"Wow, this is nice," Kyra said. "It's even clear of branches."

"Odd, but I'll take it." Grisom held out his arm for Aves to land on. "Let's get settled here."

"You won't have enough time to do that!"

They looked up to see the three men from before. Fang, Batty, and Asthma were also out. They all looked pretty angry.

"You're back far earlier than I thought you'd be," Grisom said.

"We managed to get some items to heal our Pokémon," the leader said, who was the one that had spoken first. "We won't give up until we've completed our mission!"

"You want to battle us again, even knowing you will lose?" Grisom said. Aves flew off his arm to hover in front of the three Pokémon.

"We have the advantage now!" the blonde-haired man said. "Asthma, Self Destruct!"

The Koffing exploded and caught Aves full-force. He cried in pain and hit the ground, unable to move.

"You…" Grisom growled, calling Aves back. Asthma had to be recalled as well, for the powerful attack left him in a faint.

"Your Pokémon are weakened," the brown-haired one said to Kyra. "Which only leaves us with one person to worry about: a little girl that probably can't battle to save her life."

"Just try it!" Misya said. Hama went in front of her, clearly angry at the insult.

Kyra looked at her Eevees and saw that the man was right. They were both far too tired to help. "Sorry… I think you're going to have to do this on your own…"

At that moment, a boy in his late teenage years came running into the clearing. He wore white clothes that were trimmed in a mix of light green and light blue. His short hair was blue, and he had glasses over his blue eyes. A brown pack was slung over his shoulder, a Poké Ball was in his hand, and a Ralts ran behind him, though it was clearly wounded.

"Another one?" the brown-haired man said, annoyed. "Batty, deal with that nuisance. Fang can take care of the girl."

As the Zubat flew towards the new arrival, he reacted purely on instinct. He was used to having the Poké Ball of one of his Ralts in his hand, and since Hinata was resting in hers, he threw the ball to release her. Only when it was in the air did he realize it was the empty ball that had rolled out of his pack. He grimaced and waited for the ball to pop open and show its empty insides.

To his shock, the Torchic from before emerged instead. The ball flew back to his hand, and he caught it completely on reflex with his eyes wide. "What? When did…?"

The Torchic seemed just as surprised as his new trainer. But when he saw the enemy flying towards him, he went into action by leaping up and swiping at him with his talons. Batty screeched and flew back to try getting away.

"Hama, Psywave!" Misya said. Hama shot out a multi-colored wave, but it went over Fang harmlessly.

"Fool! Psychic attacks won't harm Dark types!" Fang's trainer said. "Fang, Tackle!"

The Poochyena went straight through Hama on his attack. Misya sighed. "I have an excuse, since I'm new at this, but how did you not know Normal attacks wouldn't affect Ghosts?"

"Um… it's all part of the plan!" the leader retorted. "Fang can still… um… …Does he even have any moves that aren't normal?"

"...Hama, Astonish!" Misya said. Darkness hit Fang, causing him to yelp and flinch.

The Torchic's trainer barely noticed the other fight; he was too busy trying to catch up with what was happening on his side. His mind sped through what he knew about Torchic. "Use Ember!"

Small, hot flames were shot at Batty, who screeched as he was singed. "Fly away!" his trainer yelled, and he did just that.

However, the Torchic was not about to let him get away. He leapt for a tree and used the trunk as leverage to go soaring towards the Zubat. While in the air, he used Ember again. That was too much for Batty to handle. It fell to the ground, and the Torchic landed on him comfortably.

"Argh! Batty, return!" His trainer stuffed his Poké Ball away. "We're outnumbered. Let's get out of here!"

"Fine! Fang, return!" The leader shook his fist at them. "Don't think this is the last time we'll see you!" They ran off at once.

Kyra sighed in relief. "That was close." She turned to the Torchic's trainer. "It would have gone badly for us if you hadn't been here to help. Who are you?"

"Oh, right. My name is Tenga." He indicated to the Ralts beside him. "That's Neji, and this is Hinata." He released the blue Ralts, who hid behind his leg meekly. "And this Torchic is… a Torchic. I didn't even know I had him until now." The Torchic hopped over to him and bounced around eagerly.

"Nice to meet you," Kyra said. "I'm Kyra, this is Ammy, and that's Tsuku."

"I'm Grisom, and that's walking disaster." Grisom indicated to Misya.

"Must you refer to me as that?" Misya said with her hands on her hips. "Please excuse him. My name is Misya, and this is Hama."

"Eevees and a Misdreavus," Tenga said. "What do you have, Grisom?"

"A Chimchar and a Starly that got knocked out. He'll recover in a bit," Grisom stated.

Kyra looked impressed. "You identified our Pokémon right away, without needing to look them up or anything!"

"Of course. Eevees are noticeable, especially since they are rare. Their odd DNA makes them difficult to find," Tenga said, kneeling in front of his new Torchic. "And Misdreavus is a Ghost Pokémon with a unique appearance and set of attacks. It was pretty obvious."

"Oh… I wouldn't know. This is my first day as an actual trainer…" Kyra said, a little down.

"Sorry. I didn't know." Tenga stroked the Torchic over the head. "I read a lot of books, so I can identify most Pokémon right off the bat. I guess I assumed most people would be the same way."

"Are those the only Pokémon you have with you?" Misya asked.

"Yeah. Neji and Hinata are twins and my long-time friends," Tenga explained. "Hm… this Torchic took in his surroundings and used them to his advantage at once. He seems to think on the fly. I think I'll call him Ramna."

The Torchic seemed to like his new name. He went to Neji and chirped a greeting. Neji still appeared a little annoyed at their previous battle, but nodded towards him anyway.

"Are you the one who cleared out this area?" Grisom said.

"I am. Do you need a place to stay? I don't mind if you remain here," Tenga said.

"Thanks, we'd love to," Kyra replied.

A few minutes later, they were all seated in a circle with their Pokémon on their laps. Misya spoke up first. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you headed, Tenga?"

"To the continent," Tenga said. "I want to investigate something there."

"Like what?" Grisom inquired.

Tenga's expression grew grim. "Have you heard the rumors about Pokémon going insane?"

"Yes!" Kyra said. "That's why we're headed inland!"

"It's not just a rumor," Tenga stated. "My parents are scientists. I read some of their reports, and they are investigating this matter. I wanted to do something about it, so I left with Neji and Hinata to look for the source."

"I was sent by Professor Cedar to see if the rumors were true," Kyra said. "Grisom was interested too, and Misya wanted to head to the continent anyway. If you want, we could join up. We'd have a better chance with more people." Ammy barked in agreement while Tsuku watched quietly.

"She has a point," Grisom said.

"I think it's a fine idea," Misya said. Hama looked somewhat exasperated yet did not respond.

"Thanks. I'd be glad to accept," Tenga said. Neji nodded to them, Hinata smiled shyly, and Ranma bounced around happily."

"Then welcome to the group, bookstore," Grisom said with a grin.

"…Bookstore?" Tenga said, blinking.

"He nicknames people," Kyra said, shaking her head. "Don't let it get to you."

Ammy yawned widely and rested her head on Kyra's leg. Seeing this, Misya said, "We should rest. It's already pretty late."

"Okay. Good night," Kyra said as she lay down. The rest of them echoed her and were soon asleep as well.

To be continued…


	4. The Voyage

Look, a chapter! Feels good to get one up.

**Chapter Four: The Voyage**

"_Please… wake up…" Sobbing. "Please… I'd give anything… please, wake up…"_

"Kyra?"

"Huh?" Kyra's eyes flickered open, and she saw her three human companions and eight Pokémon staring at her.

"Are you all right?" Misya said. Apparently she had awoken her. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"I don't think I was," Kyra said, rubbing her head. "Thanks for the concern though."

"Good thing you came awake. Ranma looked like he was about to try a more brutal method, such as burning," Grisom joked. The Torchic threw a glare at him.

Ammy pawed at Kyra's hand and whined worriedly. Kyra managed to smile at that. "Don't worry, I'm fine. So, are we about ready to go?"

"After we eat, yeah," Tenga said. He opened his pack and removed some Pokémon food to set in front of Neji, Hinata, and Ranma. The Ralts twins ate in a dignified manner while Ranma shoveled his food down swiftly.

"Someone likes eating," Grisom remarked. He brought some out as well to give Wukong and Aves. Misya did the same for Hama. They all looked quite content.

"I hope I have some… ah, here we go!" Kyra pulled out two cans to serve her Eevees from. Ammy wagged her tail happily before digging in. Tsuku let his tail sweep the air once and slowly began eating.

"He eats… a lot…" Tenga said, blinking at Ranma gobbling down his meal.

The humans each had some travel rations that they ate. While doing so, Kyra said, "It looks like Aves has recovered."

"Resting in a Poké Ball helps Pokémon recover more quickly," Grisom said.

"We should be arriving at the ferry soon, right?" Misya said.

Grisom nodded. "Hopefully one will be available when we get there."

They finished eating shortly and began packing up their things. Tenga seemed to have some trouble lifting his backpack, prompting Kyra to ask, "What's in there?"

"Books. Lots of books," Tenga said. "Along with a few other things."

"Geez, you really are a bookstore," Grisom said. He recalled his two Pokémon while the others left theirs out.

"Are we ready?" Misya asked.

"Looks like we are," Kyra said, putting her Eevees on her shoulders.

While walking, Misya said, "Have any of you ever been to the continent before?"

"Not me," Kyra answered. Tenga shook his head.

"Yeah," Grisom said. "Holds a lot of memories for me."

"I see," Misya said, apparently too polite to pry.

"You said your parents were scientists?" Kyra directed to Tenga. "Do they work only here?"

"No, sometimes they take a ferry to the mainland," Tenga replied. "They're gone at the moment. I left a note saying where I was going."

"Oh." Kyra was unsure of what to say about that.

Shortly after, the trees began to thin out. They left the forest and stepped on pavement. Spread in front of them was the docks, and beyond them, a body of water that looked like it would never end. The sea breeze swept by, as did cries of white birds flying above them.

"It's beautiful…" Kyra said. She indicated to the birds above. "What are those?"

"Wingulls. You can find them around any sea area," Tenga said.

"There's our destination," Grisom said, pointing to a large ferry nearby. A few people were getting on, but most were already onboard. The vast, white vessel had the name _Sea Dancer_ painted on the side in blue.

"Wow," Kyra said, blinking at the size of it.

"It's a good thing it didn't leave yet," Misya said.

They approached the ship to find a man wearing a sailor's outfit standing in front of the ramp leading up. He looked at their Pokémon closely before saying, "This ferry is headed for Lemuria. Do you want to board?"

"Yep, that's where we're going," Grisom said, producing some money. The others followed his example, Kyra finding hers in her pack.

The sailor counted their money before handing each of them a ticket. "You're all set!" He also gave Kyra and Grisom a plastic card. "Use those to get into your rooms."

"Thanks," Misya said. They went up the ramp afterwards.

"Getting there will take a few hours," Grisom stated. "What do you guys plan on doing?"

"I'd like to explore a bit," Kyra said.

"Same here," Misya agreed.

"After putting my backpack up, I'll do the same," Tenga said, rubbing his shoulder.

Kyra watched Ranma hop along the side of the ferry. "Is that safe? What if he falls off?"

"I'm sure he's got enough balance to not make it a problem," Tenga replied. The other Pokémon stayed close to their trainers.

They found their rooms quickly and managed to open them by sliding their card keys through the slots. After dropping off their packs, they exited to look around. The ship began to move as they went, signaling that their trip had begun.

Their first stop was in the kitchen, where several chefs were busy at work. One was peeling carrots into a trash can, and when they went by, Misya stopped. "Is that…?"

"What's wrong?" Tenga asked.

"Excuse me," she said to the chef before reaching into the trash can. Out came a ball that was blue with red markings.

"A Great Ball," Grisom said. "You have good eyes."

"Is that one of the more advanced balls?" Kyra inquired.

"Yeah," Tenga said. "Great Balls are better than Poké Balls, but worse than Ultra Balls. There are also a variety of circumstance balls, where they work very well in certain situations. For instance, a Dusk Ball works best at night or in a cave."

"That's interesting," Kyra said.

There was little else to do there, so they went down the hall of rooms. Most were shut firmly, but one was ajar. Curious, Kyra pushed it open to see if someone was inside.

Indeed there was. An old man with a black suit, black hat covering his gray hair, and a mustache stood up and pointed his cane forward. "You young pup! How dare you barge into my room!" He threw a Poké Ball. "Nidoran, get rid of this intruder!"

A purple creature with large ears, noticeable front teeth, and a small, sharp horn emerged. It pawed the ground eagerly.

"Wait! I didn't want to-" Kyra protested.

"Too late for that now, kiddo. Show him what you're made of," Grisom said.

Kyra grimaced, but said, "Either of you up for a fight?"

Ammy leapt to the ground and barked at the Nidoran. Watching them, Tenga said, "Be careful. Nidorans can use Poison attacks. That Nidoran is a male, so he'll be more aggressive."

"Nidoran, Horn Attack!" the gentleman commanded. It lunged forward and pierced its horn into Ammy, who cried out.

Kyra quickly looked around the room and saw it had little, except a bed, table, and a suitcase on the table. That was enough to give her an idea though. "Ammy, leap onto the table!"

Ammy did so at once. A gleam entered her eye as she got behind the suitcase.

"Nidoran, follow her!" the gentleman said. The Nidoran started to jump.

"Ammy, Tackle!" Kyra said. Ammy slammed herself into the suitcase, causing it to topple off and hit the Nidoran. He was promptly flattened underneath it. To add insult to injury, it turned out to be open. Items came spilling out of it to scatter across the room.

"Argh! Nidoran, return!" Once he had recalled the Nidoran, the gentleman swung his cane around in anger. "Get out of my room! Out out out!"

They were quick to obey, Kyra scooping up Ammy and leaving last. The gentleman slammed the door shut behind them. Grimson grinned as he said, "Curiosity killed the cat."

Kyra blushed. "I shouldn't have done that…"

The Ralts and Hama looked exasperated, but Ranma seemed amused by what had happened, as did Tenga. "You'll know better next time."

"Let's look around some more," Misya said, trying to get Kyra's mind off the incident.

Kyra nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

They next made their way onto the deck, where several people were sunbathing, swimming in the pool, or looking over the railing to see Water Pokémon. One person was grumbling about how many Magikarp there were.

"This is a nice spot-ah!" Misya yelped as she slipped on some water and fell into the pool with a gigantic splash. Hama floated over the pool worriedly as Misya emerged with a gasp.

"Walking disaster," Grisom said as everyone else stared. Kyra soon snapped out of it to get near the pool and help her out.

"I'm such a klutz," Misya muttered, embarrassed.

"It's all right. How about we go back to our room so that you can get dried off?" Kyra said.

"That sounds good. We'll be back soon," Misya directed to Grisom and Tenga. Kyra and Misya began to head to their room.

The two girls had just arrived in front of the door when someone said, "Wow, what happened to you?"

They turned to see a man who had sold them their tickets. Misya said, "I fell into the pool."

"Sorry to hear that. So you're going into your room?" the sailor inquired.

"Yes." Kyra slid the key in and stepped aside to let Misya in first.

The moment Misya went inside, the sailor, in one swift movement, grabbed both Ammy and Tsuku by the scruffs of their necks while kicking Kyra in the back. The card key flew out of her hand and she fell to the floor.

"W-what?" Kyra struggled to rise, but before she could, the door slammed shut. A click was heard.

"These two are pretty rare. Very nice indeed! I'll be back later for the other one," the sailor said mockingly.

Misya tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "Let us out!" she cried, banging on it.

"Sorry, but I have orders-OW! You little rat!" A smack was heard and a whimper. "Stupid Eevees. You're coming with me!"

"Stop!" Kyra said, to no avail. The sailor was clearly gone. Realizing what had just happened, Kyra slumped forward. "No…"

"Don't worry," Misya said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get them back."

Kyra gave her a desperate look. "How? We're locked in…"

"If only it wasn't electronically locked," Misya sighed. "Otherwise I could pick it. What to do…"

Hama floated down in front of them and indicated to herself. Misya brightened at that. "Of course! Hama can get Grisom and Tenga! She can go through walls!"

"And they could save Ammy and Tsuku! Would you do that for us, Hama?" Kyra said. "I'm really worried about them!"

With a short nod, Hama went through the wall. Kyra smiled in relief. "Thank goodness. I was so afraid that I would lose them… even though we barely know each other…"

"It's amazing, the bonds people and Pokémon can make," Misya said.

"Yes…" Kyra agreed.

"While she's doing that, I'm going to get dry," Misya said, indicating to herself. "Not much else we can do after all."

"Okay." Kyra sat on the edge of the bed to wait anxiously.

…

"Looks like we've pretty much seen everything," Grisom said, leaning against the railing.

"Apparently." Tenga was watching his Pokémon. Neji was sitting by the pool when Ranma snuck up on him and shoved him into the water. An angry and wet Neji swiftly got out and started chasing Ranma to return the favor. Hinata wisely stayed out of it and remained by Tenga.

Grisom watched the waves go by. "Wonder how long it'll take them to come back."

Tenga indicated to his side. "Probably not long, judging by her."

"Wha-whoa!" Grisom leapt back at noticing Hama. "When did she get here?"

"More importantly, why does she look frantic?" Tenga said, eyes narrowed.

Hama indeed seemed quite worried. She began to talk to Hinata, who nodded and tugged on Tenga's leg.

"You want to go somewhere? Lead the way," Tenga said. She began to, with Neji and Ranma calling a truce before following him. Hama went too.

"It looks like you understand your Pokémon well," Grisom remarked.

"Neji and Hinata have been my life-long friends," Tenga answered. "So yeah, I can usually tell what they want."

They soon arrived in front of Kyra and Misya's room. The duo gave each other a bewildered look before Grisom knocked on the door. "Hey, kiddo, walking disaster, are you two in?"

"You're finally here!" Kyra said, sounding relieved. "We ran into that sailor that gave us our tickets, and he took Ammy and Tsuku!"

"What?" Tenga said, looking startled and then angry. "He stole them?"

"Yes! And he locked us in!" Kyra said.

"I sent Hama to get help," Misya added. "Do you think you can open the door?"

"Leave it to me." Grisom went into his room and emerged with a small box. "All of you, stand back! I'm going to take care of the door!"

Everyone hurriedly got out of the way as he set the box at the base of the door. He activated something, and a moment later it exploded. The door went flying open, revealing a stunned Kyra and Misya.

"You blew it up?" Tenga said in disbelief.

"We had to get it open somehow," Grisom said, ignoring the startled exclamations from people nearby. "Let's move, quickly."

Not knowing when they would come back, they all grabbed their packs before heading off. As they went down the hall, Misya said to Hama, "Can you try to find where Ammy and Tsuku were taken?" Hama nodded and went through a wall.

"This is the only way we didn't go," Grisom said while they continued walking. "Hopefully they'll have a hiding place of some sort."

Hama abruptly reappeared from the floor. She made a few urgent noises and swept down the hall.

"Looks like we're going the right way," Misya said.

They soon made it to the end of the hall, but it appeared to be a dead end. They looked around in confusion, until Ranma poked at the floor nearby. Hama went through it and came back out. She indicated to the floor as well.

"A trap door, from the looks of it," Grisom said. He felt around it until managing to pull it up. "Yep, there it goes."

They went down the stairs carefully and emerged in a metal corridor. Dim lights gave them enough vision to get by, but there was nothing to see other than the continuing hall and occasional barrels.

"What are in these?" Misya wondered, looking at one.

Grisom kicked one. The noise of sloshing liquid met their ears. "Water or oil probably."

"Hey! What are you doing down here?"

They looked up to see the sailor headed towards them. He halted at the sight of the group. "How did you two get out?"

"Why did you steal her Pokémon?" Tenga demanded. Ranma chirped angrily to back him up.

"We, Team Remnant, use this vessel to transport stolen Pokémon!" the sailor declared. "And anyone who stands in our way is subject for a beating! Go, Machop!" The gray humanoid appeared at once.

"He's mine," Tenga said, eyes flashing. "Ranma, get him! Ember!"

Ranma sent out small blasts of fire to hit the Machop. He looked injured, but responded immediately to the sailor's orders. "Machop, Low Kick!" He struck out at Ranma. Luckily for Ranma, his light weight sent him flying away from the worst of it, and he managed to land lightly in front of a barrel.

"Bah, this isn't working! Go Tentacool!" The sailor sent out a blue jellyfish with two big, red jewels.

"Two on one isn't fair!" Misya said. "Hama, help out! Psywave!" Hama released the psychic waves, stunning the Tentacool.

"Machop, Karate Chop!" the sailor said. Ranma waited until the last moment to jump away. The Machop's attack cracked the barrel open, causing drops of oil to come out.

"Oil…" Tenga grinned. "Misya, tell Hama to get back! Ranma, use Ember!"

Hama did not even need to be told. She retreated just as Ranma aimed Ember at the barrel. It blew apart, the explosion catching both the Machop and Tentacool.

"No! I can't believe it! Return!" The sailor threw his arms up in frustration after recalling his Pokémon. "How did that happen?"

"You lost," Grisom said. He brought out a Poké Ball and called forth Wukong. "And we now have two Fire Pokémon out. I can see there are several barrels of oil around. Want to try messing with us?"

The sailor cringed. "All right, I surrender! The Pokémon are back further in the hall!" He held out a card key, which Tenga snatched up. "That lets you in. Just let me go!"

"Fine. Get your sorry ass out of here," Grisom spat. The sailor scampered away.

"Team Remnant?" Misya said, looking confused. "Who are they?"

"Dunno. We'll probably find out soon enough," Grisom said as he recalled Wukong.

"You all were wonderful," Kyra said, clasping her hands together. "Thank you for doing this."

"There's no way I'm going to let a thief like that get away," Tenga said grimly.

"Yeah. We're happy to help," Misya said.

Grisom nodded. "Let's go get your Eevees."

They went down the rest of the way to find a locked door. Tenga opened it at once to reveal a horrible sight. Cages upon cages were scattered throughout the room, and each one had a sad Pokémon in it. Some clawed at their prison while others seemed to have accepted their fate.

"How awful!" Misya said. She knelt by the first cage she saw, one that had a black sphere-like Pokémon inside with a yellow cone covering all but its mournful face. She pulled out a pouch from her robe and drew a lock pick from it. A few twists later and the lock fell off, freeing the Pokémon. It joyfully came out and nuzzled against her, prompting Hama to hiss at it.

"You've got a lot of work ahead of you," Grisom said, looking at all the cages.

Though Kyra felt sorry for all of the Pokémon, she had two in mind that she wanted to find. A quick search uncovered them. "Ammy! Tsuku!"

Ammy licked her through the bars, her tail flying. Tsuku did not respond as eagerly, but he looked relieved.

"Hang on a sec." Misya unlocked the cages, and Kyra happily picked the Eevees up.

"Thank you," she said as she hugged them. "I'm glad neither of you are harmed."

"I think it's about time we make a call to our local police department," Grisom said. "Kyra, would you do the honors?"

"Sure!" She brought out her Pokétech and was soon able to figure out how to phone them. "Hello, I am making this call from the ferry called _Sea Dancer_. My Pokémon were stolen, but we managed to recover them. In the process we found several other captured ones. They probably need help returning to their trainers. Yes, I think we will be docking soon. You'll meet us? Thank you. We'll see you then." She hung up.

"It hurts to think that we never would have known they were here unless your Eevees got stolen," Misya said as she unlocked more cages.

Kyra looked down. "That's true…"

"At least they'll be safe now," Grisom said. "I just hope that slimeball doesn't call for backup."

"Even if he does, it won't do much good," Tenga said with a smile. "I bet these Pokémon would love the chance to get back at their captors." Several different cries of agreement came from the former prisoners.

"We have our own miniature army," Grisom joked.

Right after he said that, a voice came over the speakers. "We are scheduled to arrive in Lemuria within five minutes. Please prepare to depart at this time."

"Let's go upstairs. By the time we get everyone up, we should be there," Misya said.

"Right," Tenga said. "Everyone, please follow us!"

The Pokémon gladly went with their saviors. The cone-shaped Pokémon continued to stick by Misya, which clearly annoyed Hama, but the others simply followed.

People in the hallway gaped as they saw the Pokémon be led through. When they arrived at the front, the ramp was being lowered, and they could see policemen standing there. The Pokémon went running down at once to greet them.

"I see that what you said was true," a woman said. She was apparently in charge of the group and had teal hair and brown eyes. A Growlithe sat by her side. "Could you bring me to the one who abducted your Pokémon?"

"Of course, miss…?" Misya trailed off.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Officer Jenny," she replied. The Growlithe barked a greeting. "So where is the man responsible for this?"

Grisom pointed at a person on the ship, who turned out to be the sailor. "That guy."

"Ah, thank you. If you'll excuse me…" She walked towards the sailor, who turned and began to run.

"We can handle the rest on our own," a policeman said. "If you wish to go on, please feel free to do so."

"Thank you," Misya said. The others nodded in response before heading off.

To be continued…


	5. Purge

I still exist! Really! In all honesty, this chapter annoyed me for some reason, until I got about half-way through it. Either way, it is done now, so I shall celebrate.

**Chapter Five: Purge**

They were a good distance away from the police officers before they noticed they were being followed. The cone-shaped Pokémon waddled after them, trying to keep up.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Misya said, turning to it.

The Pokémon hopped up and down, chattering in its own language. The other Pokémon looked bewildered, except for Hama, who appeared furious.

"What Pokémon is that?" Kyra asked Tenga.

"Snorunt. It's an Ice type that is usually difficult to find." He paused to watch Hinata point from the Snorunt to Misya. "Apparently it wants to go with Misya."

Misya gave it an alarmed look. "That explains why Hama's acting jealous. But doesn't it have a trainer already?"

"Not necessarily. They might have taken it from the wild, or a store," Grisom said, shrugging. "Either way, it seems attached to you."

"Yes, but…" Misya sighed. "Look, you're free now. I was happy to help. That doesn't mean you have to follow me around. Go on, enjoy your new liberty."

The Snorunt tilted to the side with a confused expression. This did not please Hama in the slightest. She floated in front of the Snorunt and hissed at it several times, eyes and gems glowing. It did the trick, for the Snorunt hastily backtracked to get away.

"I feel kind of bad for sending it off, but it's better this way," Misya said. "Especially with Hama's attitude towards it." Hama nodded eagerly.

"Not much to be done about it now," Grisom said. "Let's move on."

Ahead of them lay a forest. This one appeared much denser than the island one they had gone through. Very little sunlight could be seen through the branches as they entered. The branches rustled constantly; whether it was from wind or something else was hard to tell.

"This is Verdant Forest," Grisom said. "It's famous for the large variety of Bug Pokémon it has. We should be ready to deal with any that attack us." He glanced at Kyra and Tenga. "Still, I think you two should recall some of your Pokémon."

"Why?" Kyra asked.

"You have two Eevees, which are very rare," Grisom pointed out. "You make a fine target for thieves. Each of you keeping one Pokémon out would probably be fine, but let's not risk more than that."

Tenga looked at his. "What do you three think?"

Neji and Hinata did not appear disturbed. Ranma, on the other hand, made a disgruntled noise and turned his back to Tenga.

"I guess that means Ranma will stay out. That's probably for the best anyway, since we're surrounded by Bugs. Neji, Hinata, return. I'll let you out as soon as I can." He recalled the twins.

"I'll leave one of you out and switch the next day," Kyra said to her Eevees. "Which order do you want to go in?"

Ammy and Tsuku conversed with each other momentarily before Tsuku pawed at his Poké Ball on her waist. Understanding what he meant, Kyra recalled him and placed Ammy on her shoulder.

"Now we can continue-ah!" Misya had started to walk forward, but in the process, had tripped over a tree root. Her body hit the ground with a thud, and in the process, her Great Ball went flying out of her pack to land a short distance away.

This was just the moment a certain Pokémon had been waiting for. Without warning, the Snorunt leapt out of the nearby bushes and hit the Great Ball. It opened and consumed the Snorunt in a flash.

"Oh no!" Misya cried, grabbing the Great Ball and giving it a helpless look.

"Wow. It really wanted to be with you," Tenga said as Grisom snickered.

"But I didn't feel the same way!" Misya protested. Hama snarled at the Great Ball.

"There isn't much you can do about it now," Kyra said.

"Besides, Snorunt isn't a bad Pokémon. It'll probably come in handy," Grisom said.

"Still… that was my only Great Ball…" Misya said sadly.

Grisom reached into his pack and pulled out another Great Ball, which he handed to her. "There. That should make up for it."

"Thanks!" Misya carefully put it away before examining the one her Snorunt was in. "You're right, Kyra. Not much to be done about it…"

The Great Ball suddenly burst open, causing the Snorunt to appear at her feet. It gave her a goofy grin, not seeming to notice a seething Hama.

"Oh all right," Misya said, kneeling in front of it. "I may as well nickname you."

Tenga gave the Snorunt a close look. "I think it's a female."

"Then I'll name her Yuki." Misya patted the Snorunt, much to Hama's annoyance. "Welcome to the group, Yuki. Come back for now."

"Now all of us have at least two Pokémon," Kyra said while Misya brought Yuki back to her resting place.

"It's always good to have more options," Grisom said.

There was little else to do there, so they went on. The trip went smoothly, with no Bug Pokémon showing themselves yet. This and the quiet continued, until a sudden sound pierced the silence.

"What was that?" Misya said in alarm.

"I think it was a scream," Tenga said. "Let's hurry!"

They began to run towards the source, though they were careful to avoid tripping like Misya had. This lasted until a shape ahead caused them to stop.

It turned out to be a small, blue puppy that walked on its back two legs. Its paws, middle, and ears were black, as was the fur around its eyes, making it look like it wore a mask. Not once did its red eyes look at them. As if not noticing the group, the puppy walked by them, disappearing into a bush.

"That was… a Riolu…" Tenga said, blinking.

"Talk about random," Grisom said.

As they were all sure that the scream had not come from the Riolu, they ran on until coming to the person who had. It was a young boy who wore a green shirt and brown shorts. His brown hair was cut short, keeping it out of his brown eyes. Confronting him was a light brown, furry creature with two dark stripes on its back horizontally. It had a large, pink nose and white claws, along with black eyes that had small pupils. The Pokémon snarled and frothed at the mouth as it quickly advanced towards the boy. Lying to the side was a pink caterpillar that was trying to get up but failing.

"A Slakoth?" Tenga said with puzzlement. "They're usually very lazy. Why is this one attacking?"

"And why is it frothing like that?" Misya asked.

"It doesn't matter right now! We have to help that boy!" Kyra said. Ammy barked in agreement.

"I'll take care of this!" Grisom pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it. "Go, Wukong! Use Scratch!"

The Chimchar came flying out and landed his attack directly on the Slakoth's face. It snarled and swiped back, landing a Scratch of its own.

"Try a Leer, and then Scratch again!" Grisom said. The Slakoth was looking tired out, which gave Wukong enough time to sneer wickedly before powerfully attacking. Injured badly, the Slakoth looked close to fainting.

"It's time to try out this thing," Grisom said, holding out his left arm with the gauntlet and a Poké Ball. He leapt, doing a twist in midair as he threw the ball and hit the Slakoth, which vanished into it. The ball shook once, twice, thrice, and then went still.

"You caught it!" Kyra said. "Good job!"

"What are you going to do with it now?" Tenga asked. "The way it was acting… I doubt it was natural."

"Probably not," Grisom agreed. "But let's see if catching it worked." He threw the Poké Ball at the ground to release the Slakoth. It was clear at once that it was no longer maddened. Instead, it looked calm, with its eyes half-closed in a sleepy manner.

"It seems fine now," Misya said, sounding relieved.

"Yep. That means my job with him is done." Grisom made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go on, get out of here. I'm releasing you." As he said this, he pressed the button on the Poké Ball for a long moment, which caused it to glow white. The Slakoth proceeded to lumber to a tree and climb up, falling asleep upside down.

"T-that was incredible!" the boy said as he picked up the caterpillar. "Thank you for helping me!"

"Not a problem," Grisom said, bringing back Wukong.

"Who are you?" Kyra asked.

"My name's Brad, and this is Benny, my Wurmple," he replied. Benny stirred in his arms and made a small noise to confirm. "Come back, boy. You deserve a rest." Brad brought him back into his Poké Ball.

"What happened?" Misya said.

Brad shivered. "I was out here, training with Benny, when that Slakoth suddenly tried to attack me! You know how Pokémon prefer to combat other Pokémon and rarely attack humans, right? This one went right for me! Benny did his best, but it soon defeated him, and…"

"This sounds familiar," Tenga stated. "People who have met insane Pokémon have given similar reports. I bet that was one of them."

"So we've finally seen one with our own eyes…" Kyra said grimly.

Tenga frowned. "But never has catching one actually cured it of being insane. So I don't understand how that worked."

They turned to Grisom, who had been silent. He shrugged at their looks. "Okay, I'll explain. I'd prefer if it stays a secret between us though. Can I at least ask that much?"

"Of course," Misya said. The others nodded.

"Thanks." Grisom put his hand on the gauntlet. "Okay, see this thing? It's actually a machine called a Purge, and it's the only one of its kind at the moment. It was made to counter the insane Pokémon by, as the name implies, purging them of the insanity. Using a Poké Ball with it, the caught Pokémon is cured."

"Not even scientists have such a machine," Tenga said. "How did you get your hands on it?"

"Well, to be honest…" Grisom paused, but finished by saying, "I'm a bandit."

Tenga merely nodded, not appearing too surprised, while the others stared in disbelief. Kyra managed to say, "So Tsuku… you…"

"Stole him, yeah. Though believe me, his previous home was a horrible one," Grisom said. "I was doing him a favor."

"And you managed to steal this Purge," Misya assumed.

"That's right. Unfortunately, it and Wukong were the only things I managed to save from my warehouse of Pokémon, which got found by authorities," Grisom said bitterly. "I stole Tsuku shortly after that, only to lose his Poké Ball in the crowd that was watching the results of my work. Kyra found him, and things went from there."

"You're like the bad guys, but you saved me," Brad said, sounding confused.

Grisom grinned. "I'm not an easy guy to pin down. Don't worry, I'm not about to steal anything while I'm with you guys. If I go back to it, it'll be away from all of you."

Tenga seemed ready to retort, but he stopped and said shortly, "Fine." Kyra and Misya had nothing else to say.

"My goal is to help as many of these insane Pokémon as I can right now," Grisom said. "Trust me on that."

"I will," Kyra said. The others nodded, and she asked Brad, "To change the subject, where do you come from?"

"I'm from Jade City," Brad replied. "I work as a trainer for Cassie."

"Cassie?" Misya said.

"You don't know her? She's the leader of the Bug pre-gym," Brad said.

Kyra tilted her head. "Pre-Gym?"

"In the region of Lemuria, there are thirteen gyms," Tenga said. "Four are pre-gyms that you have to defeat before you can challenge the others. The other nine are the official ones. You need to defeat eight of them to face the Elite Four. The reason there are nine is because one, the Weather gym, closes often. I'm not sure why though."

"Are you all challengers?" Brad inquired.

"We weren't planning on being challengers," Misya said.

Tenga looked thoughtful. "But it's something to consider. The champion holds a very high rank in the Pokémon world. We could help more from a position like that. Also, fighting gym leaders would make us stronger, and more capable of doing what we set out to. We could even access many areas people are restricted from without badges."

"Bookstore brings up quite a few good points," Grisom said. "I think it's worth trying. We don't have much else to go off of yet."

"Would we all need to beat the same gym leader?" Kyra asked.

Grisom shook his head. "One copy of each badge should be enough for us."

"Then let me try facing the Bug pre-gym leader!" Tenga said. "I have Ranma, who's strong against Bugs. Neji and Hinata may be Psychic, but they can handle themselves too."

"All right," Kyra said. "I'm fine with letting you do that."

"Go for it," Grisom said. Misya smiled in encouragement.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to bring her down," Tenga declared. Ranma chirped happily.

"I wouldn't say such things until you see her!" Brad said. "But first things first, you have to reach the pre-gym. Would you like me to bring you there? I know this forest well."

"That would be great! Thank you!" Misya said.

"We'd really appreciate it," Kyra said. Ammy wagged her tail to show that she felt the same.

"It's the least I can do to thank you all," Brad said. "Besides, Benny's still hurt. I'd be in trouble if something else attacked me." He began to walk further into the forest. "Come on, let's go!"

The group followed Brad through the dense forest. Thanks to him, there were few problems in getting through. Other than a few breaks, with one to eat lunch, there was little of note that they did. A couple of green Bug Pokémon Brad identified as Caterpie and yellow ones he called Weedles showed up, but an Ember from Ranma sent them running each time.

It was just starting to get dark when Brad stopped in a clearing with a fallen tree. A red Pokémon with two mushrooms on its back got off and scurried away at the sight of them, and there was nothing else they could see.

"Let's stay here for the night," Brad said. "We should be able to reach the pre-gym tomorrow morning at this rate."

"Sounds good," Kyra said, letting Tsuku out. Tenga did the same for Neji and Hinata, as did Grisom for Wukong and Aves. Though Misya did not reach towards her Poké Ball, Yuki popped out and began to dance around her. She sighed while Hama growled. "I don't understand how she keeps coming out on her own."

"It's possible, just not likely for Pokémon to do," Grisom said.

Brad also let out Benny, who looked a lot better off. The five of them fed their Pokémon, which they all took happily. Ranma, as before, chomped his down in an amazing fashion. Once they were done, Grisom and Brad called back their Pokémon. Misya attempted to get Yuki back into her ball, but the Snorunt kept bouncing out of the way of the beam. She finally gave up and allowed her to stay out. Kyra and Tenga kept theirs out. After exchanging good nights, they began trying to fall asleep.

The key word there is trying. Only a few minutes after they began, a chorus of noises came from the trees. All of them sounded very annoying. Though none of them liked it, Tenga seemed the worst off. His eye kept twitching and he continuously opened and closed his hands, as if imagining strangling something.

The source soon became clear as a bunch of crickets emerged. They were red with yellow stomachs and collars, and they stood on two legs. Their black antennae were curled, and they had large noses and small, beady eyes. The only exception was a larger one at the front, who had very little yellow showing, red antennae, stick-like arms, a black mustache, and black wings.

"Those are Kricketots," Brad said when he noticed everyone staring at them. "And the leader is a Kricketune. This group isn't very friendly. They like to tease people."

"I… hate… Kricketunes…" Tenga said, hands clenched tightly.

"Huh? Why?" Kyra asked.

Before he could answer, the Kricketune began to move his arms in rude gestures, clearly taunting them. That was all it took for Tenga to snap. He lunged forward and slammed the Kricketune into the ground while punching it furiously.

"Holy Caterpies!" Brad said, wide-eyed. The others were only able to watch. The Kricketune tried frantically to escape, but Tenga kept grabbing it and punching it into submission. It screeched for help, causing the Kricketots to advance. Ranma was on the job though, and he used Ember to send them scattering.

"He wasn't kidding…" Misya said.

Ammy made an inquiring noise, which Neji and Hinata replied to. The Pokémon got a look of understanding and settled back to enjoy the show.

After much effort, the Kricketune was finally able to shove Tenga away and run for its sorry life. The Kricketots hastily went with it.

"Um… Tenga? Are you okay now?" Misya asked warily.

Panting heavily, Tenga managed to nod. "Fine. Perfectly… fine…"

"What was that all about?" Grisom asked.

It took a few minutes for Tenga to calm down, but he eventually explained. "When I was much younger, I got lost outside. It got to be late, and around that time, a bunch of Kricketots and Kricketunes blocked my route. I tried to get by them, but they stopped me every time, taunting me at the same time. It's permanently scarred me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kyra said sympathetically. Grisom had an opposite reaction; he was trying to hide his snickers.

"Thanks," Tenga said, ignoring Grisom. "At least they're gone now."

That turned out to be a good thing for all of them. They were quickly able to fall asleep without the distracting noises.

…

Morning came, and they all had slept well. After eating and recalling their Pokémon (Misya managed to get Yuki into her Great Ball after some effort), the group set off, following Brad once again. This time he had Benny perched on his shoulder, who seemed to enjoy the forest.

Though there were no Kricketots or Kricketunes around, they soon heard other loud insect noises. Seeing some of them covering their ears, Brad explained, "Those are Nincadas. A trainer recently tried to breed his and wound up releasing a lot of the children. Things went from there."

Ammy futilely tried to cover her ears and Hama made noises of complaint. It was Ranma who eventually lost his temper. Seeing a Nincada on a tree, he fired an Ember at it. The Nincada dodged out of the way, and some of its friends swiftly put out the fire Ranma had started.

"Hence the 'nin' in 'Nincada'," Tenga said dryly.

"We'll just have to bear it," Misya said gloomily.

Grisom did not answer her, instead pointing ahead. "That Pokémon…"

They looked to see a pale purple scorpion with green eyes. It raised its stinger menacingly.

"That's a Skorupi," Brad said. "They love battling, so watch out."

"Love battling, eh? Sounds like my type of Pokémon!" Grisom hurled a Poké Ball. "Aves! Wing Attack!"

Aves appeared and dove at the Skorupi, smashing it with his wings. The Skorupi countered with Bite, latching onto Aves. It struggled to get free.

"Okay, now Tackle him!" Grisom ordered. Though Aves was still caught in the Bite, it hurled itself forward, smashing the Skorupi into a tree. It let go of Aves and staggered dizzily.

"Now it's mine!" Grisom threw an empty Poké Ball towards it. It disappeared in a flash, and then the ball began to shake. Three times later, it went still.

"You wanted a Skorupi?" Misya asked.

"Sure did. I like them." He picked up the Poké Ball and released his new Pokémon to examine him. It hissed and waved its tail, but did nothing aggressive. "All right. Hm… I'll call him Sasori."

"It's great that you wanted a Bug Pokémon," Brad said. "A lot of people disregard them because they think they're weak, but that's not true at all. Right, Benny?" The Wurmple nodded. "Anyway, we're nearly there now."

The trees were beginning to thin out when something flashed, and then hit Ranma over the head. He yelped in shock. After Tenga checked to make sure he was unhurt, he lifted the item.

"This is a TM…" he said, staring at the disk he held. "It says TM53, Energy Ball."

"Where did that come from?" Kyra said. She looked up, as did the others, to see a Nincada hopping away.

"I guess a trainer dropped it, and that Nincada decided to let us take care of it," Brad said.

"Talk about forest preservers," Grisom joked.

"Either way, I'm happy to have it." Tenga slid the disk away.

"What is a TM exactly?" Misya asked.

"TM stands for Technical Machine. It teaches one move to a Pokémon," Tenga explained. "You would use them to teach moves that Pokémon would not ordinarily learn."

"That's pretty cool," Kyra said.

Grisom recalled Sasori. "Seems like we're one step away from leaving."

"Basically," Brad said. "Once we get out, we'll be very close to Jade City. I'll show you around once we arrive."

"Sounds like a plan," Grisom said. They proceeded to exit the trees.

To be continued…


	6. Rough Start

After spending much time away from home, I am back and ready to write.

**Chapter Six: Rough Start**

The city was in plain sight once they emerged from the forest. Many of the buildings were brown and had vines growing up their sides, giving them a naturalistic appearance. Several people were outdoors with their Pokémon. All of their clothing looked fit for the outdoors, as did the people themselves.

"Wow," Kyra said with Tsuku carefully taking in their surroundings. "It's a really pretty town."

"On the behalf of all the residents here, I'll say thanks," Brad stated. Catching their looks, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wanted to sound important. But anyway, welcome to Jade City!"

"I'm amazed at all of the plants you managed to incorporate into the town," Misya said.

"We do our best to live alongside nature." Brad began to walk again, prompting them to follow. "Being so close to the forest, we have great reason to. Even the gym fits the theme. You'll see when we get there."

Kyra looked at Tenga. "It's nearly time. Feel ready?"

"I'm trying to not think about it," Tenga said.

"Where's your confidence from before, bookstore?" Grisom said. "Show a bit of it."

Tenga grimaced. "I'm trying to think of strategies. Could I have a bit of silence to do that?"

"This is your first big battle, isn't it?" Misya realized.

"Yes," Tenga said. "That's why I really have to think this out."

"Sorry," Kyra said. "We'll leave you alone then." Misya nodded and Grisom shrugged.

The rest of the trip was made in silence. They soon arrived outside of a large building that looked like a greenhouse. There were even more vines clinging to the sides of this building. The group took a moment to absorb the sight of it before going after Brad into the building.

Inside they found a miniature forest. There were trees everywhere, and on their branches were all types of Bug Pokémon. Caterpillars clung to their trunks, cocoons nestled against the leaves, and butterflies flew by. Kyra and Misya could not take their eyes off the variety of insects. Grisom viewed them with interest, and Tenga was too deep in thought to look.

"You should let out your Skorupi," Brad advised, putting Benny on the ground. The Wurmple happily climbed up a nearby tree. "He would enjoy it."

"May as well." Grisom released Sasori, who appeared happy to be out. He regarded the area and clacked his pinchers in approval.

"Are there any other trainers besides you?" Kyra asked Brad.

Brad shook his head. "Just me. That's why I have to train very hard."

They continued on until they heard a shout. Noticing their alarm, Brad quickly said, "Don't worry. Cassie's just training. She does this a lot."

When they saw her, they realized why so much noise was being made. Cassie was on the ground, wrestling with a big, blue beetle that had a huge horn. It was trying to keep her down, but she had her hands on the horn and was prying it away from herself. The sight of it was enough to stun all but Brad, who called, "Cassie! Some trainers are here to see you! One's asking for a challenge!"

"All right, I'll be there in a moment!" With a giant heave, she managed to force the Pokémon back and stand. "We'll continue later, Dio," she said to it before heading over.

Now that she was up, they could see that she wore a white sleeveless shirt, blue overalls, gray gardening gloves, and brown, worn out shoes. Her shortly cut hair was brown and covered by a blue bandanna with a white floral pattern, while her brown eyes reflected friendliness.

"You must be Cassie," Misya said. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Misya. These are Kyra, Grisom, and Tenga."

Tenga still appeared to be in shock. "I can't believe you were wrestling a Heracross."

"Heracross?" Kyra asked.

"A Bug and Fighting Pokémon who is very strong," Tenga said.

Cassie laughed. "Dio's a strong one, but that only helps my training. Don't worry, I don't use him in pre-gym battles." She looked more closely at Tenga, examining him carefully.

"What about them?" Grisom asked, pointing towards the back. The others looked to see two Pokémon. One was a Scyther, while the other resembled a giant, purple scorpion. It had similarities to Sasori, but was much bigger and fiercer.

"Oh no. That Scyther, Makirika, and Drapion, Chiyo, are not used either," Cassie assured, finally turning her gaze away from Tenga to look at Grisom. Her attention was caught by Sasori, who she smiled at. "So that's where you went off to."

"Huh?" Kyra said.

"This guy's their son," Cassie said, nodding to Makirika and Chiyo. "They had him recently, but he left sooner then we expected. Looks like he has a good trainer now."

"Indeed he does," Grisom said with a grin.

"Anyway, Brad said one of you wanted to challenge me?" Cassie continued. "Did you already beat him?"

"Well, not really," Brad said sheepishly. "But they saved me in the forest. I was being attacked by a crazy Slakoth."

Cassie laughed. "That's something I never thought I'd hear! So that's why you didn't want to battle them? Sounds fair to me. We'll get right to it then. Who am I fighting?"

"Me," Tenga said. Ranma chirped to back him up.

"You, huh? All right, let's go!" She gestured to the rest of the group. "I'll need you guys to step back."

They hurried out of the way, leaving Tenga and Cassie facing each other. Tenga, looking very tense, brought out a Poké Ball and waited for Cassie to do the same. Instead, she turned to the trees and said, "Gi Gue, come on out!"

A large bee responded to her call, emerging from the forest. It had two white stingers on its front legs and big, red eyes.

"A Beedrill," Tenga said. "Bug and Poison. In that case, I have the advantage! Go, Neji!" He threw the Poké Ball, releasing Neji.

"Neji, use Confusion!" Hearing the command, Neji began to glow a light purple and released a wave of energy. It hit Gi Gue squarely, causing her to start falling. Neji eagerly ran forward to deliver another blow.

"Wait, stay back!" Tenga said.

But it was too late. "Gi Gue, Twineedle!" Cassie said, and her Beedrill responded by twisting in midair and jabbing twice with her stingers. Both attacks struck home, vitally wounding Neji. He swayed and began to fall.

"Neji, return!" Tenga stared at Gi Gue. "How did she survive?"

"You may have had a type advantage, but I did too," Cassie pointed out. "And Gi Gue has had more experience."

"Still… that did weaken her…" Tenga mused. He looked down at Ranma. "Ready to go?"

Ranma eagerly hopped onto the battle field, and before Tenga could give an order, shot an Ember at Gi Gue. The flames consumed the Beedrill. This time, she hit the ground brutally.

"Gi Gue, return!" Cassie nodded to herself. "I expected you would come out soon. That's why I'll bring out one of my best Pokémon! Go, Brick!"

The only thing to answer her call was the sound of faint Kricketots. Tenga's eye twitched. "Is he coming?"

"Yes, he'll be here any moment now," Cassie said.

Still nothing happened, until at last a creature slowly came out of the woods. It resembled a turtle with a brown rock-like shell that had several holes. Four yellow legs and a skinny yellow head came from it.

"A Shuckle," Tenga said flatly. "You use a Shuckle?"

"I sure do!" Cassie said. "He is a Bug type after all. Rock too, but Bug as well. Brick, use Wrap!"

Brick's legs shot out like rubber bands and snared Ranma.

"Ranma, respond with Focus Energy! We have to get a strong hit in!" Tenga said. But Ranma was struggling with the Wrap and apparently not listening. It instead tried to Scratch the Shuckle with little success.

"Brick, Toxic!" Cassie said. Purple liquid came from the holes in Brick's shell, smothering Ranma. He looked vastly sickened afterwards.

"Poison. Not good," Grisom said. "Normally he could recall Ranma to help him, but with Wrap in effect, that isn't an option."

"Ranma, Ember! We don't have much time to do anything else!" Tenga said, fists clenched. Ranma managed to respond by spitting some sparks at Brick.

"That's what we've been waiting for! Brick, Encore!" Brick, while still grasping Ranma, managed to awkwardly clap its legs together. Ranma instantly shot out another Ember.

"He can't do anything else then…" Tenga muttered.

"Let's finish him, Brick! Bide!" The Shuckle withdrew his head into his shell as two more Embers struck him. Then his head shot out, slamming a badly poisoned and injured Ranma. He went limp as Brick released him.

"Ranma, return!" Tenga's nervousness could clearly be seen as he recalled his Pokémon. He brought out his last Poké Ball. "I don't like to do this, but… go, Hinata!"

Hinata came out and looked around cautiously. To the onlookers' surprise, Tenga knelt beside her. "I'm sorry, Hinata, but I need you to attack."

At hearing this, Hinata's expression became one of terror. Tenga quickly began to comfort her. "It's okay. I'll be right here for you. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't very important, so please… Remember that I'll be here…"

Hinata hesitated for a long moment, and then began to grow a bright purple. It was obviously Confusion, but it appeared much stronger than Neji's. Then she unleashed the energy.

It instantly became obvious as to why Tenga had not wanted to do it. The attack not only completely tore into Brick, who barely managed to hide in time; it also ripped apart the surrounding ground and trees. Bug Pokémon went flying out of the forest, and the onlookers were barely able to remain standing.

When it was finally over, Brick hit the ground with a thud. He slowly emerged from his shell and stood shakily, having managed to barely endure the attack.

Hinata was much worse off, frightened to death of what she had done. She instantly ran into Tenga's arms and stayed there, shaking horribly.

"Holy crap," Grisom said into the silence. That basically summed up all of their thoughts.

Cassie blinked. "Well… uh… normally I would propose we continue, but…"

It was then that they became aware that they were surrounded by all types of Bug Pokémon, and not a single one was happy. They were battered from Hinata's attack and growling at her.

"Um…" Tenga rose quickly, keeping Hinata close. "I'll… um… accept this as a loss… and come back some other time. I'm… sorry about all this. Yeah…" He hurriedly left the gym.

"I had no idea Hinata was so strong," Misya said.

"She's amazing," Cassie said. "If Brick wasn't completely defense oriented, he would have been wiped out. Just wait until she can control her power."

"That'll be scary," Kyra said. Tsuku gave a small nod; even he looked startled.

Grisom recalled a bewildered Sasori. "We'd better go after him. Do you mind if we come back… oh, tomorrow?"

"I don't mind at all. I'll be ready to battle anytime," Cassie said with a smile.

"He did pretty well," Brad remarked. "Cassie has three Pokémon, and many trainers find it hard to even get by her Beedrill."

"So you have one more that Tenga has yet to see," Misya said.

Cassie winked. "Let him be a surprise. If he can beat my last Pokémon, I'll know he's worthy of my badge. See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," Kyra said as they left.

When they got outside, they found Tenga nearby. He was murmuring reassurances to Hinata and did not look up until they approached him. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't messed up…"

"It's fine," Kyra said. "None of us would have done any better."

"Yeah," Misya agreed. "She said you could try again tomorrow. You'll win next time."

Tenga slowly nodded. "I will. I'm already considering what I did wrong and planning my next encounter. If you all don't mind, I would like to spend the rest of today training."

"That's fine," Kyra said. "Would you like to be alone while doing it?"

"I think it would be best for my Pokémon if I talked to them by myself," Tenga said. "So I'll be gone for the rest of today."

"Okay. Why don't you meet us at the Pokémon Center tonight?" Grisom suggested.

"I'll do that. Until then, later." Tenga headed off with Hinata.

"What should we do for the rest of the day?" Misya asked. Hama floated around her while giving the buildings curious looks.

"We may as well explore the town," Kyra said.

"Sounds fair enough." Grisom looked up for a moment and then froze. "Actually… there's somewhere else I need to be. I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"What is it?" Kyra said.

"Nothing you have to worry about." Grisom walked off.

"He sure likes keeping his secrets," Misya commented. Hama nodded.

"Let's look around while we're waiting," Kyra said.

…

Tenga made a quick detour to the Pokémon Center to get his Pokémon healed before heading to the forest. Once there, he brought out Neji and Ranma, who looked no worse for the wear.

"Will you be all right now, Hinata?" Seeing her nod meekly, Tenga set her on the ground and knelt by his Pokémon.

Neji and Ranma appeared ashamed. Tenga swiftly reassured them. "Don't worry. We may have lost, but that doesn't matter. We can learn from it and win next time. Are you all willing to hear me out?"

Three nods answered him. "Great. First of all, a general problem that we had in the match was a few of the things you did without my commands. Neji, running forward at that time was a bad idea. It left you open to a counter attack. Ranma, Focus Energy could have helped us in the long run. Instead of panicking and attacking, you should have tried that. I'm not at all against any of you making up strategies on your own, but you have to trust mine as well. That's what will make us a good team, being able to trust each other. Do you understand?"

Neji, Hinata, and Ranma made noises of confirmation. Tenga smiled. "Great. As for our next confrontation, here is what we are going to do…"

…

Grisom's decision to leave had been made when he saw The Don. He would have recognized that Pokémon anywhere. A huge, black-feathered bird with a white chest and a black hat, the Honchkrow made an impression on anyone who saw him. Grisom had caught sight of him on a building and had decided to follow when he took off.

By the way The Don was looking back at him, he clearly knew he was being followed and encouraged it. They went towards the edge of town, where Grisom finally met up with the person he was looking for.

"Grisom!" the man boomed with a wide smile. He was a big, muscular man with a gray, short-sleeved shirt, brown pants, and black boots. His brown hair was covered by a yellow hardhat with a little green cross, and he had a beard and green eyes. "It's been so long! How've you been?"

Grisom returned the smile. "Pretty well, all things considered. I'm glad to see you again, Parker."

"Same here!" Parker held out an arm for The Don to land on. "Saw my buddy, did you?"

"Yep. He's not hard to miss." Grisom hesitated, and then asked, "Have you found-"

Parker cut him off. "No, still nothing. For someone you never wanted to see again, you sure act concerned."

"…What else can I do?" Grisom said, looking away. He then changed the subject. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure! What do you need?" Parker asked.

"I'm traveling with a few people," Grisom said. "We could use some supplies. If you could deliver the usual and a few extra things, I'd appreciate it. See, my warehouse got raided recently."

Parker winced. "Ouch! All right, I'll do what I can. Expect to receive the supplies in Amber Town."

"Thanks," Grisom said. "Sorry to run so soon, but I had better get back to my companions."

"That's perfectly understandable. See you around!" Parker said. The Don tilted his hat as Grisom left.

…

Though they had toured the whole city, only one spot really caught Kyra and Misya's attention. Between two buildings was a thin, wiry tree that was spread out enough to completely bar the way. Like any normal person would react to a sealed-off entry, they were curious as to what was being blocked.

"Do you think it might be an empty lot?" Kyra said.

"Or maybe an abandoned building," Misya mused. "There's a lot of options, but we won't know easily."

"I'm no good at climbing," Kyra said sadly.

"Nor am I. So that means we're stuck," Misya sighed.

As they thought it over, a man walked up to the tree and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Go HM Slave! Cut!"

A big, goofy-looking beaver came out. It thumped its tail against the ground happily before clawing apart the tree. The man recalled his Pokémon and walked past where the tree had been.

"Look! We can go in now!" Kyra said. But no sooner had she said that then the tree immediately grew back.

"I could have told you that would happen," Grisom remarked, coming up behind them.

Tsuku growled as Kyra jumped. "Oh! You scared me!"

"How did it grow back so fast?" Misya asked.

"Some trees are special like that. They can be cut down using HM01, Cut. That stands for Hidden Machine," he said to Kyra's confused look. "Hidden Machines can be used to great effect inside or outside of battle. Sure you can use other attacks for things, like Ember to light a fire, but Hidden Machines are particularly useful."

"I see," Kyra said. "So we have to get one of those first…"

"That and defeat a certain Gym Leader so we can use it. But we'll worry about that later," Grisom said. "It's getting late. How about we head to the Pokémon Center?"

"Sounds good to me," Misya said. Hama bobbed up and down in agreement.

"Right this way then." Grisom started off towards it.

When they arrived and went inside, they left their Pokémon with the nurse for a quick check-up. After she returned them and assured they were in perfect health, they brought out food for them.

It was in the middle of their meal that Tenga finally arrived. Neji, Hinata, and Ranma trailed after him. They all seemed tired but happy.

"How did it go?" Misya asked.

"About as well as I could ask for." Tenga took some food out of his pack to give his Pokémon. "We know what we're going to do tomorrow. All we need is to rest up for it."

"We can't wait to see it," Kyra said. Ammy yipped to show her support while Tsuku waved his tail slowly.

"Then I say we should get some rest to be ready for tomorrow," Grisom said.

"Right." Once his Pokémon finished eating, Tenga lifted them. "Good night."

"Yeah. Good night," Kyra said. Once he was gone, she said, "So we're allowed to sleep here?"

"Handy, huh? I'm off too," Grisom said, recalling his Pokémon.

"So am I," Misya said. "Good night."

They went to their different rooms, and shortly after they all fell asleep. Not even Tenga had a problem with closing his eyes, despite the day to come.

To be continued…


	7. First Victory

This one is a bit shorter than most, but I hope to make it up next chapter.

**Chapter Seven: First Victory**

When Kyra woke up the next morning, she realized that this was the second night that she had not heard voices in her sleep. She had been in the same dark area as before, but nothing else had happened. She puzzled over it as she got up and changed into her clothes.

Everyone else was up by the time she went to the lobby. They looked up at her entry, and Misya said, "Good morning."

"Good morning." Kyra set Ammy and Tsuku on the ground and brought out food for them. "Are we going to the pre-gym right after this?"

"Don't see why not," Grisom said. "As long as Tenga's ready we may as well."

"We're ready," Tenga said. Neji and Hinata tore themselves away from their meal long enough to agree. Ranma continued eating without pause.

"Then let's get going," Misya said. She attempted to recall Yuki, who danced out of the way. "I can tell this is going to be annoying in the long run…"

Once Yuki had finally been recalled, everyone else besides Ammy and Hama were brought back too. They left the Pokémon Center to head for the pre-gym.

It was on the way there that they heard a chorus of hooting. They looked up to see three owls about the size of them descending. The owls landed in front of them.

"Noctowls?" Tenga said. "What are they doing here?"

"They have collars," Kyra noted. She examined the tags. "Noctowl Delivery Service. They're named Orly, Yarly, and Nowai."

"Those are weird names," Misya said.

Orly held up a leg, offering Tenga an envelope. Yarly held up one as well, which had a package attached to it. Tenga blinked and then accepted them.

"This one has something too," Kyra said, checking the package Nowai had. "It says it's for a Riolu."

"Any chance it's that one we say two days ago?" Misya asked.

"I doubt it," Grisom said.

The owls gave a chorus of hoots before flying off. Tenga watched them go before opening the envelope and drawing out a letter. He read it quickly.

"What does it say?" Grisom asked.

"It's from my parents," Tenga said with a smile. "My mother agreed with me. She thinks that my alternate point of view on the insane Pokémon may allow me to see things they would miss, and she believes the experience would be good for me. Father says that the journey will toughen me up, make me stronger, that sort of thing. I'm glad they don't mind that I left."

"What's in the package?" Kyra asked.

Tenga carefully opened it and brought out a disc. "TM43, Secret Power. I'll have to thank them later."

"That was nice of them," Misya said.

"Yeah. Either way, we'd better keep going," Tenga said.

They did just that. Upon arriving at the pre-gym, they found Brad at the entrance with Benny on his shoulder.

"Hi!" Brad said. "Cassie asked me to bring you to her when you came."

"Then lead us," Grisom said.

Brad showed them to the back, where they found Cassie talking to her Heracross. She rose at their arrival. "Hey there! I was hoping you'd come soon. All set for a rematch?"

"Yes," Tenga said. He appeared nervous but ready.

"Let's clear the way!" Cassie said. The rest of the group went to the sidelines. "Okay! Gi Gue, you're up!"

Her Beedrill responded at once by flying to the battlefield. Tenga brought out his Poké Ball. "Let's try this again! Go, Neji!"

Cassie raised an eyebrow at the Ralts. "Are you hoping for a repeat of what happened yesterday? If so, I'll give you one. Gi Gue, Twineedle!" Gi Gue dived towards him.

"Neji, Double Team!" Tenga ordered. Neji concentrated, and then a ring of clones sprung up.

"Huh?" Cassie said. Gi Gue stopped, startled.

"Now Confusion!" All of the Nejis glowed purple, and sent an energy wave at Gi Gue. She faltered from the attack.

"Hit as many as you can with Fury Attack!" Cassie said. Gi Gue threw out a series of fast stabs, hitting five clones and making them vanish. A decent amount remained.

"Neji, Confusion again!" Neji repeated his attack, this time knocking Gi Gue to the ground. She tried to take flight again but failed.

"Gi Gue, return!" Cassie grinned. "Not a bad strategy, but can you face Brick? I choose him!"

Once more, Brick took a while to arrive. When he finally did, Cassie said, "Brick, Rock Tomb!"

Rocks appeared above all the Neji clones. As they fell, Tenga said, "Neji, Teleport!" The clones promptly vanished and reappeared around Brick.

"Huh. I'm surprised Neji knows Teleport already," Grisom remarked. "It's a more advanced move for a Ralts."

"That won't work for long! Brick, Wrap!" Brick's four limbs shot out and hit four Nejis. Three vanished while the fourth was snared.

"Neji, Teleport out! Then use Confusion!" Tenga said. Neji quickly obeyed, with the energy weakening Brick.

"Brick, Encore! Let's make sure he doesn't escape this time!" The Shuckle quickly clapped.

"We're going to have to hope he wears out!" Tenga said. "Neji, keep hitting him!"

"Time for a Wrap!" Cassie said.

Neji managed to hit him with a Confusion before being caught. Acting calmly for someone trapped, Neji used another Confusion.

"Toxic!" Cassie said. Purple liquid splashed Neji, leaving him poisoned. But he continued to endure it by using Confusion again.

"Now Bide!" Brick drew into his shell to begin absorbing energy.

"Neji, get ready to dodge!" Tenga ordered.

"He can't now that he's wrapped! Unleash the Bide!" Cassie shouted.

To all of their surprise though, Neji vanished from Brick's grasp right as his head shot out. He reappeared behind him and let loose a powerful Confusion, which seemed to hit vital areas. Brick collapsed, eyes dizzy.

"Lucky you… Encore's effects must have ended…" Cassie realized. "Brick, return!" She grinned at Tenga. "Okay, you've made it to my last one. Let's see if you can handle this! Hattori, your turn!"

From the sky came a Scyther. He landed with his blades crossed and glared at Neji, who was swaying feebly.

"You've done more than enough Neji! Return!" Tenga held up his Poké Ball.

"You're not getting away that easily! Hattori, Pursuit!" Cassie said. Hattori darted towards Neji and sliced him once with a darkened blade. He was clearly unconscious as he returned to his Poké Ball.

"So that means I'll be relying on you, Ranma. Go!" Ranma jumped out eagerly. "Focus Energy!"

"Two can play at that game!" Cassie said. "Hattori, Focus Energy!"

Both of the Pokémon quickly got pumped and were soon brimming with energy. Their trainers gave their commands at the same time. "Ranma, Ember!" "Hattori, Quick Attack!"

Hattori moved extremely quickly to get to Ranma. Despite that, the Ember hit first due to being a distance attack. It left deep burn marks on Hattori, which caused him to swing with a little less force. Ranma went barreling over from the strike.

"This is tricky," Grisom said. "With Focus Energy, one hit could mean the other would faint. But it looks like Hattori's burned now. He'll be hurting and have a harder time taking down Ranma."

"We need to finish this in one strike!" Cassie said. "Hattori, Leer!"

"Ranma, use Ember again!" Tenga said

The sparks hit Hattori as he glared at Ranma. "Now Quick Attack!" He sped towards Ranma, lifted his scythe-like arm, and brought it down, only for Ranma to leap back and dodge it.

Cassie looked startled. "What? How did you manage to do that?"

"I realized Ranma needed some defensive training, so we did that yesterday!" Tenga announced. "Ranma, Peck!"

Ranma sprang onto the dull side of Hattori's arm and used it as leverage to land on his head. He then repeatedly began to Peck it. Hattori snarled in pain.

"Hattori, swipe him off!" Cassie said. Hattori attempted to, but found it difficult due to how his arms were positioned. Ranma took advantage of his confusion to give him a solid Peck in the eye. With a scream, Hattori slammed his blade into Ranma, sending him flying off. Ranma slowly got up as Hattori fell to his knees.

"The burn's effects are too great." Cassie held up a Poké Ball. "Hattori, return!" He vanished from the field. "And with that, I have lost."

"You did it!" Misya said from the sidelines. Even Hama seemed to smile.

"Way to go!" Kyra exclaimed. Ammy barked happily.

"Not bad, bookstore," Grisom admitted.

Brad clapped eagerly. "Congratulations!"

Tenga smiled. "Thanks, guys." He lifted a battered Ranma. "You did good too." Ranma chirped in response.

Cassie walked up to Tenga and held out her hand. In it glittered a badge that looked like a white flower. "This is the Garden Badge, and it's all yours." Once Tenga took it, she brought out a disc. "And this is TM89, U-Turn. It's a Bug move that allows you to do damage while switching out your Pokémon. Make good use of it!"

"Thanks, but I'm not sure anyone I have can," Tenga remarked.

"Why don't we keep the TMs all in one area and allow any of us to use one when appropriate? If it's okay with everyone else," Kyra said.

Grisom shrugged. "It works. Who wants to hold onto them? I doubt bookstore should, after all the things he's carrying around."

"I will," Misya volunteered. "I hardly have anything I have to carry anyway."

"All right. Keep them safe," Tenga said, handing over the three TMs he had.

Misya nodded. "I will."

"That was a vast improvement over yesterday," Cassie said to Tenga. "But you have to remember that I wasn't going all out. Those were my pre-gym Pokémon. So what I'd like to ask is that we have a rematch when you get stronger. We'll have a six-on-six battle where I show you the true power of Bug Pokémon. What do you say?"

"I think that would be worth doing," Tenga said with a grin. "Sure, I'd be glad to next time we meet."

"Then it's settled! This'll only be a temporary parting; I'm counting on you all to return!" Cassie said. "Come back soon!"

"Please do!" Brad said. "I'll improve too!" Benny bounced onto his head and leapt up and down.

"We will. Until then!" Misya said.

The four of them waved as they left. Brad and Cassie returned it. Once they were gone, Brad said, "I'm going to train for a while! Benny and I have to be ready!"

"Go for it. I have some things I want to take care of myself," Cassie said.

Brad left, and Cassie looked around the forest. As she did, she saw a yellow bug with black markings perched on a tree nearby. It had red eyes and white wings with red on the tips. Cassie smiled at it before walking towards a door in the back.

Inside it was a regular office. Cassie went to the phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello? This is Cassie. You're not going to believe who I just saw."

…

The group's first stop was at the Pokémon Center, where Tenga had Neji and Ranma be healed. Then they traveled to the edge of the city and looked back one last time before moving on.

"So long Jade City," Kyra said while Ammy yipped.

"We'll be back soon," Misya said. Yuki emerged from her Poké Ball to dance in agreement. "What the-get back in!"

"If we're quick, we should be able to make it to Amber Town by late afternoon," Grisom said.

"That's not far at all," Kyra said.

"Nope. Let's start walking," Grisom suggested.

They went for a fair distance before a Pokémon appeared from tall grass. It was a beaver with curly, brown fur, large buck teeth, and beady black eyes. It leapt once and made a dopy noise.

"A Bidoof," Tenga said with a sigh. "These are really common. Ranma, take him out."

Ranma spat an Ember at the Bidoof. It squealed and ran away. Blinking a few times, the group moved on.

Only a few steps were achieved before another Bidoof appeared. Misya glanced at Hama. "Feel up to a Psywave?" Hama obliged, and the Bidoof fled.

They were not home free yet though, for another Bidoof jumped in front of Grisom. His eye twitched as he sent out Sasori. "Bite him!"

The Bidoof yelped and once more had to flee. Kyra twitched as she said, "Is there anything besides Bidoofs in this area?"

A raccoon creature with white and brown stripes answered her question. It had spiky fur and ran in zigs and zags. The thick silence of the group was broken by Tenga saying, "Zigzagoons aren't much better."

As if sensing the group's hostility, the Zigzagoon ran. In the process, it dropped something on the ground. Misya picked it up. "Is this a Potion?"

"It is," Grisom confirmed. "Zigzagoons like picking up random stuff. Go ahead and keep it."

They were fortunately able to continue on without much trouble after that. Tenga spent much of the time looking at his new badge. "It's hard to believe that we have one of these…"

"And we'll need so many more," Kyra said.

"Amber Town has a gym," Grisom stated. "It's kind of odd since it's such a small town, but it does. Mind if I take this one on? I feel like a challenge."

"Sure. I'd like to watch you battle," Kyra said. Misya and Tenga nodded.

"Guess I'm up then." Grisom looked ahead. "I think we're nearly there."

He nearly wound up tripping over the Riolu that emerged from the tall grass. It walked over to another patch without pause and dove into it.

"…He comes at the most random times…" Tenga said. Ranma snorted.

Soon they could see buildings ahead. Encouraged by this, they picked up the pace, only to slow down when they saw someone ahead. When they got closer to the person, Kyra tensed. "You… you're…"

"Do I know you?" he replied, leaning on his cane.

"You're that man… Joph… I saw you battling Jason…" Kyra said as Ammy growled. The others watched in confusion.

"He was an interesting opponent, but still weak in the end." He eyed each of them. "I doubt any of you are strong either."

"Depends on your definition of strong," Grisom said coolly.

"He has a lot of evolved Pokémon," Kyra said. "And he uses them well. I honestly don't think we could win now…"

"A wise way to analyze the situation." Joph swung his cane once. "Come back to me when you have more power. I like battling those who can keep up with me." He then walked off.

"Well, he certainly wasn't very nice," Misya said. Hama growled in disgust.

"Who's Jason?" Tenga asked Kyra.

"Back in Jasper City, I saw Joph battling a guy named Jason. Jason helped me out and showed me to some places." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh no! I said I'd wait for him, but Grisom showed up and I left without telling him!"

"That must have made him confused," Grisom commented.

"Don't worry. You'll probably meet him again someday and be able to explain what happened," Misya assured.

Kyra sighed. "I hope so…" Ammy licked her cheek in an attempt to reassure her.

"Either way, we're basically here," Grisom said. "Let's go in."

"Right," Tenga said. Kyra managed to push aside her worries as they went in.

To be continued…


	8. A Small Step

Look! It's an update! I'm not completely lazy!

**Chapter Eight: A Small Step**

The first thing they noticed when they entered was how the houses looked. They were all made of wood and appeared old. On this nice day, several adults were outside chatting with one another. There were also many children who were playing with small Pokémon. That was what stood out, how tiny they all were. One girl was hugging a yellow mouse with pink cheeks, a tiny black tail, and black-tipped ears. A boy was throwing a ball to a blue creature with long ears and a noticeable black tail. It headbutted the ball back to him with a cry of, "Wynaut!"

"Look at all of them," Kyra said. "There are even more Pokémon here then in the last town!"

"Amber Town has the Pokémon Daycare," Grisom said. "It's famous for taking care of Pokémon and breeding them."

"That's a nice idea," Misya remarked.

"Yeah, it's pretty popular," Grisom stated.

"I assume that is why so many children have baby Pokémon?" Tenga inquired.

Grisom nodded. "Seems that way."

Ammy pawed Kyra's shoulder eagerly, and she soon got the message. "Can we visit it? I think it'd be fun."

"We have to go there anyway," Grisom said. "The daycare is basically the pre-gym from what I know. The leader is the person running it."

"Interesting," Misya said.

It was not long before they saw a large building ahead. A gate was at the back, enclosing a huge section of land, too big for them to see where it ended. But what caught their immediate attention was the three bored-looking people standing in the front of the building.

"It's the same three from before! The ones who were after Grisom!" Kyra said. Ammy's fur rose and she snarled.

"What are they doing here?" Tenga said.

"Let's find out," Misya said with Hama seething beside her.

They walked towards the trio, who looked startled at the sight of them. "You four!" said the leader. "What are you doing here?"

"We could ask the same for you nameless wonders," Grisom commented.

"Nameless wonders? We have names!" the one who used Batty said. "I'm Slag!"

"My name is Rook," the one with Asthma stated.

"And I'm Hond," the leader concluded. "Either way, it's about time you brats ran for it. Luckily for you, we were assigned something else, so we won't be chasing after the Purge today."

"What would that assignment be?" Tenga asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we're defending this building," Slag said. "Team Remnant's goal today is to pick up all of the baby Pokémon to do our own bidding."

"What? Like we're going to stand aside and let you do that!" Kyra declared.

"Let's see you stop us! Fang!" Hond said, tossing a Poké Ball. The other two followed his lead for Batty and Asthma.

"We beat you once, we can do it again!" Misya said. "Go, Hama-huh?" To her alarm, Yuki's Poké Ball burst open and she emerged on the field.

"Sasori, take the Koffing!" Grisom said, tossing him out.

"Neji, the Zubat's yours!" Tenga ordered. "Confusion!"

Neji's battle was over in an instant. One Confusion sent Batty spiraling away. Sasori took a bit longer. He used his tail as leverage to jump and attach himself to Asthma, and then used Bite and clung to him as he writhed in pain.

"Bah! Fang, Tackle the Snorunt!" Hond said. Fang lunged for Yuki.

"Yuki, get out of the way!" Misya called. But she need not have bothered. Yuki danced out of the way on her own, leaving Fang to tumble to the ground. She then smiled widely and created a gust of wind with snow. It passed over Fang and quickly made him an ice block, freezing him in a shocked expression.

"No! Fang, return!" Hond shook his fist at them. "We may have been defeated this time, but we will get you next time!" The others quickly recalled their Pokémon and ran for it.

"That was surprisingly easy…" Misya said.

"They're just a bunch of idiots," Grisom said with a shrug. "We may not be so lucky with the others though. Let's go in and check."

The lobby they entered was empty. A counter and a computer were in the room, along with a table that had several chairs. A hallway led away, and a door was at the back.

"Let's try the back," Tenga said. "I would assume the Pokémon are back there, which is where the thieves would be."

"That's probably right," Misya said as she opened the door.

Quite a sight greeted their eyes. There were five people, three men and two women, who all had teal hair and wore spacesuit-like outfits. Four of them were ordering their Pokémon, all of which were purple cats with coiled tails. The cats were chasing around several baby Pokémon, including a yellow one with a head that looked like a plug, a red one with a strange head, a star-shaped one, and a pink balloon that bounced along. The fifth member was confronting a boy that wore overalls and a white shirt. A white Pokémon was in his arms. Its lower body was covered by an eggshell with red and blue triangles all over it. Another cat was in front of him, but the boy was ignoring it as he vented.

"You have no right to come in and take these Pokémon! Get your costumed backsides off our property!" the boy shouted. The Pokémon in his arms chirped angrily.

"Or what?" the man taunted. His cat spat at him.

"Or else you'll have to face me and Egan!" His Pokémon sprang to the ground. "Egan, Metronome!"

Egan began to move his tiny arms from side to side while smiling. Then white beams came from him, and an explosion occurred. The cat went flying into its trainer while Egan hit the ground.

"Egan!" His trainer picked him up. "If I had known that would come up as Selfdestruct…"

"Some resistance you turned out to be!" the man said, bringing back his cat. "There are still four of us! How can you hope to win?"

"Four of you with Glameows and nothing else," Tenga said as he stepped forward. "How long will you last against us? That is the true question."

"Where the heck did you people come from?" the man said. The Glameows all advanced, hissing.

"Outside." Grisom beckoned to Sasori. "Pick your victim."

"We'll each take one," Tenga said. "Got it, Neji?"

"Okay Yuki, let's go!" Misya said.

"Ammy, the last one's yours!" Kyra announced.

"Glameow, Fake Out!" the four chorused. Each of the Glameows rushed forward and struck their foes, causing them to flinch back.

"That was generic," Tenga said. "Neji, counter with a Confusion!"

The Glameow yowled as it was struck, and swiped at Neji to retaliate. It left a gash on his head. Now annoyed, Neji hit the Glameow point-blank with another Confusion, sending it rocketing back.

"Glameow, Hypnosis!" another lackey said. The Glameow in question shot rings from its eyes at Yuki. When hit, she fell to the ground, snoring.

"At least she'll come back to her Poké Ball easier," Misya said, recalling her. "Hama, take her place! Psywave!"

Though the Glameow was hit with it, it did not go down at once. Its trainer yelled, "Glameow, Scratch!" The attack went right through Hama though. "Oh, drat. I forgot about that…"

"Why do they always forget?" Misya sighed. "Finish off the Glameow!" Another Psywave took care of it.

"Glameow, we're going to be original! Use Growl!" the one confronting Grisom said. The Glameow's fur rose as it hissed at Sasori.

"Sasori, Bite! Aim for the tail!" Grisom said. Sasori lunged for the Glameow's coiled tail and chomped down hard. Its eyes widened and it began to run around crazily while screaming.

"Ammy, blind it with Sand Attack! Then Tackle!" Kyra said. Ammy quickly kicked some sand into the Glameow's eyes. It licked its paw frantically and tried to clean itself, but did not have a chance before Ammy began battering it with Tackles.

"This is ridiculous! Recall your Pokémon!" Once they had done so, the man said, "You may have won this time, but we will triumph elsewhere! We have a million schemes to carry out; you cannot stop all of them!" They proceeded to flee.

The boy sighed in relief. "Thank you, all of you. I didn't know what I was going to do."

As if to agree with him, the baby Pokémon ran up to them and looked up at them admiringly. Smiling, Misya said, "We were happy to help. Who are you?"

"I'm Todd, the trainer for this pre-gym," he replied. "And this is Egan, my Togepi. He's seen better days though… I have to get him healed."

"Speaking of the pre-gym, we came to face the leader," Grisom said. "Could you introduce us?"

"Normally I'd be required to battle you first, but you really helped us out, so I don't see why not! This way!"

Todd led them inside and gestured for them to sit at the table before going down the hall. He soon returned with a young woman. Her appearance startled them, for she looked very similar to Cassie. She wore a blue dress and brown, formal shoes, which were the biggest differences. Her brown hair was braided and went to her back, while her eyes were brown.

"Welcome, trainers," she said. "My name is Jen, and I am the owner of the daycare, along with the Egg Move Pre-Gym. Todd told me you defended the daycare against several villains. I am very grateful, as I was sick recently and have been resting because of it."

"It was our pleasure," Kyra said.

"You look a lot like Cassie," Tenga commented. "Are you related to her?"

Jen nodded. "I am her twin sister. At least you did not mistake me for her, as so many others did."

"Wow. Small world," Grisom said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are egg moves?" Kyra asked.

"Oh, you didn't know? Egg moves are moves that babies pick up from their parents," Jen said. "For example, Brad's Togepi knows Mirror Move. Normally a Togepi would be unable to learn that, but thanks to his father knowing it, his son did too."

"So Pokémon come out of eggs?" Kyra said in wonder.

Jen smiled. "Yes, they do. See, when a male and female Pokémon love each other very much…"

"No, not the talk again!" Todd yelled, fleeing from the room. Jen laughed as everyone else blinked.

"I take it you're an expert at breeding Pokémon then," Tenga said.

"Absolutely! You'll see how well I do with it in our gym match," Jen said. "By the way, when did you want to do that?"

"Tomorrow would be good," Grisom said. "Since you said you were recovering and we've been traveling most of the day."

"Okay. Come back tomorrow morning and I'll be glad to fight you," Jen promised. "Right now, I had best check on the Pokémon. I can only imagine how scared they got when those villains came."

"Do you mind if we come too?" Kyra asked.

"We'd be glad to help, and it'd be nice to see all the Pokémon," Misya said.

"Of course. I would welcome the assistance," Jen said as she got up.

They went out with her to see that the sun was beginning to set. There was also a blue mouse with no arms and a round tail bouncing in place by the door. Jen happily lifted it up. "This is an Azurill. She is one of the newest ones to have been born. By the way, feel free to let out your Pokémon if you want. They're welcome to eat here if they want to."

The group gladly took her advice and let out the rest of their Pokémon before going on a tour of the grounds. Jen stopped at every bowl they came across to fill it with Pokémon food while Todd handled other nearby areas. The Pokémon came rushing every time, and Jen identified them for the onlookers. They recognized the ones they had saved earlier as Elekid, Magby, Cleffa, and Igglybuff. Not only babies were there though. They also saw the parents, such as the Electabuzzes, Magmars, Clefairies, and Jigglypuffs. There was even a pair of Stantler with a calf that stuck to its mother like glue. A Tauros was lying next to a pond with a pink blob that Jen called a Ditto, which she remarked had produced many Tauros eggs for a certain trainer who wanted an entire herd of them. Not all the ones there together were for breeding though, as proven by the Plusle and Minun that appeared to be good friends. There were also a few Pokémon that were on their own, like a Corsola that swam gleefully and a Carnivine that was all too eager to eat.

Once they were finally done seeing the entire place, Jen filled a few extra dishes with food for their Pokémon. "There! That takes care of them. As for us, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Please!" Kyra said. The others quickly agreed.

"All right. I'll make some spaghetti then." She led them inside and began to prepare the meal.

"You sure act different from Cassie," Grisom remarked.

"My sister inherited many of her traits from my mother," Jen stated. "I did not get quite as many."

"Took more after your father?" Misya said.

Jen shook her head. "I wouldn't know. I don't remember him. He has been away for a long time."

"Oh… sorry…" Misya said awkwardly.

"You couldn't have known." She began to dish up the pasta. "It's ready."

The meal went by in silence, but of a pleasant sort. When they were done, Kyra said, "Thanks. That was very good."

"Unlike my sister, I can cook," Jen said jokingly.

"How does she survive?" Grisom asked, trying to imagine her cooking.

"Her apprentice cooks for her. Brad is his name, I believe?" Jen said.

"Yeah, that's him." Tenga put his dishes on the counter, the others following his lead.

"We shouldn't trouble you anymore, especially if you need rest," Misya said. "We'll get our Pokémon and leave."

"All right. It was nice talking to you," Jen replied. "See you tomorrow."

They went outside and called to their Pokémon, who came running. After that, it was a short walk to the Pokémon Center.

"At least the rest of the day wasn't so bad," Kyra said. "You should be in good shape to battle her tomorrow, Grisom."

"Yep, I'm all ready for it," Grisom said. "Time for some sleep. See you guys later."

Everyone else gave their good nights before splitting up and falling asleep.

…

Kyra's night was eventless once more. She cheerfully greeted the rest of the group at breakfast, who seemed to be in good spirits as well.

"Our next destination will be Sapphire City," Grisom said. "We should be able to make it there pretty quickly. If the gym fight doesn't take too long, late morning perhaps."

"That isn't bad at all," Misya remarked.

"We'd better take care of things here first," Tenga stated. "Are we all ready to go?"

"Seems that way," Kyra said, recalling Ammy. The others did the same, only leaving Tsuku, Hama, and Ranma out.

When Misya knocked at the door, Jen answered. "Good morning."

"Same to you," Grisom said. "I'm ready when you are."

"Then let's go to the back."

She led them outside, where they saw Todd playing with Egan. He stood up when they arrived. "Hi! Are you battling now?"

"That's the plan," Grisom replied. He remained facing Jen while the others got out of the way.

"Here we go then," Jen said. She threw a Poké Ball. "Vara, start things off!"

From it emerged an orange creature similar to a salamander. It had a yellow stomach and a flame on the tip of its tail, along with white claws. It regarded Grisom evenly with its green eyes.

"A Charmander, and apparently a female one. Those are pretty rare," Tenga remarked.

"We can handle that," Grisom said. "Aves, take her on!" Aves appeared and chirped.

"Vara, Dragon Dance!" Hearing her, Vara began to do a dance that started slowly but got quicker as it went.

"Not a bad choice for a move," Tenga said. "That'll make her go faster and hit harder."

"Is it an egg move?" Misya asked.

Tenga nodded. "Yep. One of the better ones too for that matter. Odds are she has a few other Dragon moves to go with it."

"We'll take away part of her advantage!" Grisom said. "Aves, Growl!" Aves let out a snarling noise at Vara, and her dance faltered.

"We still have the speed to finish this! Vara, Crunch!" Vara bared her fangs and lunged.

"I'm going to have to disagree with that one. Aves, Quick Attack!" Just as Vara came towards him, Aves darted forward, catching her in the stomach as he went by. Vara yelped, and then straightened and tried to catch him again. He used Quick Attack once more, a feathered blur that was too fast to catch.

"We can match that! Dragon Rush!" Jen called. Vara charged towards Aves, and though he caught her with another Quick Attack, she also rammed him with the Dragon Rush. He spun backwards, stunned.

"Now finish him with a Crunch!" Jen said. Vara went for the dizzy-eyed Starly.

"Aves, Wing Attack!" Grisom's voice got Aves' attention. He readied a strike, and then smacked Vara in the face. The Crunch caught his wing, causing him to fall to the ground, but Vara fell as well. Once there, Aves hit her with his decent wing on the head as a repeat strike. She stayed down, not moving.

"Vara, return!" Jen recalled her and brought out another. "Good one, but it's far from over! Dustin, I need you!"

Out came a brown potted plant with legs. It had three green circles sprouting from its head, and two small, yellow eyes.

"That's a Bonsly," Tenga said before they could ask. "Baby form of Sudowoodo."

"Aves, try a Tackle!" Grisom said. Though badly injured, Aves started to run forward.

"Dustin, Defense Curl!" The Bonsly wrapped itself into a brown ball. Aves bounced off it, doing no damage. "Now Rollout!" It spun in place, and then rocketed forward, rolling over Aves as if he were a pancake.

"That's no good. Aves, come back!" Grisom stored his Poké Ball and tossed out another. "Sasori, your turn!"

Jen lifted an eyebrow at the Skorupi. "I recognize him. He was bred here recently. Looks like you found him in the wild. Still, that was a poor choice. He's at the disadvantage type-wise."

"Doesn't mean he can't win," Grisom said. "Sasori, Bite!"

"Defense Curl!" Jen countered. The Bite did barely any damage. "Rollout!"

"Sasori, get out of the way!" Sasori jumped aside to let Dustin roll by. Dustin did a sharp turn and came back towards him, but Sasori dodged again. They continued the game of attacking and evading until Sasori was backed against the fence.

"We've got him now!" Jen said, and Dustin rolled towards him. But at the last moment, Sasori darted away. Dustin rolled straight into the fence and stopped, being caught between the bottom board and the ground. It struggled to get free with shrill cries.

"Now Sasori, Pin Missile!" Sasori reared his stinger and shot off three volleys of needles. Dustin screeched in pain.

"I can see we're not about to get anywhere like this. Dustin, return!" Jen brought out another Poké Ball. "Nami, finish things up!"

A manta ray with a dark blue back and light blue underbelly came out. It had two antennas and flapped its wing-like limbs.

"I recognize this one. It's a Mantyke," Grisom said. "Sasori, give it a Bite!"

"We'll finish this one off fast! Nami, Twister!" Jen ordered. A rush of water caught Sasori, trapping it in the center of the twister. "Ice Beam!" Nami shot out a beam of ice from her mouth, freezing the Twister and Sasori within it. It shortly shattered, leaving Sasori to bounce to the ground and not get up.

"Sasori, return!" Grisom grimaced as he looked at his final Poké Ball. "This is my last chance. Wukong, go!"

Jen looked amused at the sight of the Chimchar. "You know you're basically doomed by bringing that out, right?"

"I'm not ready to call it over yet," Grisom said. "Wukong, Scratch!"

Nami winced at the Scratch, but did not seem badly hurt. When Jen said, "Ice Beam!" it hit Wukong point-blank. Wukong staggered from it.

"A not very effective attack… you're really confident you're going to win, aren't you?" Grisom said.

"Pretty much," Jen said with a smile.

Wukong struggled to Scratch again, but was bowled over by another Ice Beam. Nami was simply doing more damage than Wukong could manage. He slowly rose, glaring at Nami, and then held up a fist. It began to spark with electricity, and Wukong sprung forward. He caught Nami in a punch, shocking her. She cried out, severely hurt from the attack.

"Thunderpunch?" Grisom said in shock. "How does he know Thunderpunch?"

"That's an egg move for Chimchar," Tenga said, frowning slightly. "Looks like Grisom didn't know Wukong possessed it."

Jen also appeared surprised. "I know that Chimchar wasn't bred here, yet he has egg moves. Time to get serious! Nami, Hydro Pump!"

Nami's eyes narrowed as she shot out a huge stream of water. Wukong barely managed to dive to the side in time to avoid it.

"Wukong, all we need is one more hit! Dodge away from her attacks and use Thunderpunch!" Grisom commanded.

This was easier said than done, for the Hydro Pumps were coming thick and fast. But Wukong was up for the challenge, and he was still agile despite his injuries. He zipped one way, then the other, steadily approaching, until at last he was close enough to land another Thunderpunch. The decisive blow threw Nami into the ground, smoke rising from her body.

"Nami, return!" Jen paused after calling back her Pokémon, and then said, "It is over. You have won."

Everyone was startled to suddenly hear clapping. They turned to see Cassie standing at the door, where she had apparently come out from without anyone noticing to watch the match. "Good job you two! That was a great battle."

"Cassie?" Jen said in surprise. "This was an unexpected visit."

"You know I like popping in every now and then," Cassie said with a smile. "So what are you waiting for? Give him the badge!"

"Right." Jen walked up to Grisom and held out her hand. In it glinted a light blue badge that appeared to be two wings hooked together. "This is the Fledgling Badge. Wear it proudly."

"I will," Grisom said, taking it.

"Also, have this TM. It is TM86, Grass Knot," Jen said, giving him a disk as well. "I am sure you will find a use for it; it is a very handy TM."

"Is it ever," Tenga said as the group went to Grisom. "Good job."

"Yeah, you did very well!" Kyra said. Misya nodded in agreement.

"Thanks. I guess that means we should be on our way," Grisom stated.

"Yep. Next up is the TM Gym, if you go in the most sensible order," Cassie told them. She winked as she added, "Be sure to say hi for Jen. She and that gym leader are very close."

"Cassie!" Jen said, turning tomato red.

Cassie laughed. "Well it's true! Go on ahead you guys, and good luck with the next gym!"

"Thanks again for helping us," Todd said.

Recovering a bit, Jen said, "Yes. We owe you for that."

"You should come back to visit Jen too," Cassie said. "She'll give you a rematch as well, right sis?"

"Yes, I would love to battle you again," Jen confirmed. "So I hope to see you then."

"We will," Grisom said. The four of them said their goodbyes as they headed out of the daycare and onto the streets.

To be continued…


	9. Difference

Can it be? It is! I updated twice in a row! (Almost.)

**Chapter Nine: Difference**

While walking towards the town exit, they saw several sights similar to the ones from yesterday. Many children were outside to play with their Pokémon while the adults watched. The atmosphere was a light-hearted one that kept their spirits high. Even Tsuku seemed happy.

"I can't believe we already have two out of four of the pre-gym badges!" Kyra said. "At this rate we'll be done in no time!"

"I don't find it hard to believe," Misya commented. "Tenga and Grisom are really good battlers, after all."

"Don't put yourself and Kyra down," Grisom said. "You may have just started, but you're doing well. How about one of you takes on the next pre-gym?"

"What? I… there's no way I'm ready," Kyra said, a bit red. "I'd prefer to see more fights before trying something like that."

Misya looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure if I'd be prepared, but I'm willing to try it if Hama is. What do you think, Hama?" She smiled at seeing Hama puff out her chest proudly. "I guess that's a yes."

Hama's moment of glory was spoiled by Yuki popping out of her Poké Ball and dancing. "Yuki!" Misya exclaimed, swiftly recalling her. "Looks like she's ready too…" Hama scowled in response.

While they were distracted by that, Grisom happened to glance back. His eye met a yellow cat with purple ears, purple fur around its neck in an elegant but big collar, and purple fur at the end of its tail. It waved its tail once before daintily walking away.

"Grisom? Is something wrong?" Kyra asked, jolting him out of his state.

"I just realized that I have to heal my Pokémon," Grisom said. "You guys wait at the exit. I'll catch up shortly."

"Sure," Tenga said. They went on their way as Grisom went to the area the cat had disappeared to.

The cat quickly led him to Parker, who grinned at seeing him. "Hey, Grisom! Hope Jenga was a good girl and didn't fool around with you."

"For a Delcatty, she sure doesn't show off much," Grisom remarked. Jenga rubbed her head against Parker's leg, prompting him to reach down and pet her. Grisom smiled at the sight and said, "So, did you bring the stuff?"

"Sure did. Here it is." Parker handed him a brown bag.

"Thanks for getting it to me so fast." Grisom opened it to examine the contents.

"Not a problem. Tell me if I missed anything," Parker said.

"You chose some nice clothes," Grisom said as he held them up. Putting them back, he drew out a handful of different Poké Balls. "Nice variety here." The next item was a blue stone. "A Water Stone… heh, I know someone who can use that." Then came a white, oval-shaped rock. "And your trademark, the Everstone."

"I've got more than enough," Parker assured.

"I don't doubt it. Hm, some healing supplies… and… ah… good, you brought it." He drew an item out of the bag, and took off his eyepatch.

"Even now, seeing that still creeps me out," Parker said with a shiver.

"Sorry, can't help you there." He carefully placed the item over his eye. "There we go. Now I look partially normal." After placing the eyepatch away, he said, "Thanks again."

"Just tell me if you need anymore help, okay?" Parker said.

"I'll keep in touch," Grisom promised. "Anyway, I'd better get to the Pokémon Center. They're tired after that gym battle."

"I take it you won," Parker assumed.

Grisom showed him the Fledgling Badge. "Of course."

"Didn't doubt it for a second!" He picked up Jenga, who meowed. "Come on girl, let's get going. See you later, Grisom!"

"Right." Grisom watched him walk away before heading to the Pokémon Center.

…

"Looks like we're here," Tenga said as they arrived at the last row of homes.

"Now we just have to wait for Grisom," Kyra said.

"Yeah… hm? What's this?" Misya bent over and picked up something on the ground. She held it out to show that it was a gold jingle bell with a striped red and white ribbon through the loop.

Kyra eyed it curiously. "Looks kind of like a bracelet."

"What a cute charm! I feel sorry for whoever lost it, but… I don't think we're about to find the owner anytime soon," Misya said. "I think I'll wear it." She tied it around her left wrist. "What do you think?"

"It looks great on you," Kyra complimented. Hama made a noise of confirmation.

"Thanks!" She ran her finger across the bell a few times to hear it chime.

"Odd…" Tenga muttered.

"What is it?" Kyra asked.

"That charm… it looks like…"

"Something happen?" Grisom's voice cut through Tenga's musing. They looked up, and all of them stared in surprise. Instead of wearing his eyepatch, a regular-looking blue eye was revealed.

"No, nothing, I just found this wrist charm," Misya said, blinking. "Why did you wear that eyepatch? You look fine without it."

"Gives me a more forbidding appearance as a bandit," Grisom said with a grin. "But I decided to take it off for a while. I'm all set now."

"Okay, let's go," Tenga said, apparently having forgotten what he was about to say.

There were no people in sight outside. After a few minutes of walking and still seeing nobody, Kyra said, "Surely it would be all right to let our other Pokémon out?"

"Yeah. I just meant to be careful around others," Grisom answered.

Kyra, Grisom, and Tenga brought out Ammy, Wukong, Aves, Sasori, Neji, and Hinata. Misya reached for Yuki's Poké Ball, but before she could bring her out, the ball opened and she emerged on her own. Misya sighed. "I give up."

The terrain was hilly and somewhat straining to travel over, but the Pokémon enjoyed it immensely. Ammy tried to persuade Tsuku to join them, and after some time, succeeded. She would roll down the hills as a furry ball, and though Tsuku hesitated to do the same, he eventually followed. Wukong, Aves, Sasori, Neji, and Ranma got into a game of tag and chased each other all over the place, with Ammy soon joining, and Tsuku reluctantly following. Yuki, looking oblivious to what was happening around her, would occasionally dance in the way of them, forcing them to jump aside to avoid a collision. Hama apparently thought playing tag was undignified and stayed close to Misya. Hinata remained in Tenga's arms, too shy to enter but enjoying watching them.

"They really look like they're having fun," Kyra said happily. "And they deserve it, after all the fighting that's been happening."

"Yeah," Misya said. "I feel a bit guilty sometimes, pushing Hama to fight, and Yuki too though she hasn't done so much."

"You have to keep in mind that most Pokémon enjoy fighting," Tenga stated. "They need time to relax too, of course, but unless they visibly show that they don't like fighting, don't worry about having them fight."

"Like Hinata?" Misya asked.

Tenga nodded. "I try not to have her fight. Since Neji and Ranma like to, it's not a big deal overall."

"Hm… both Ammy and Tsuku don't seem to mind fighting," Kyra mused.

"I know my guys like it," Grisom said. "Hama doesn't seem to mind, nor does Yuki, though she seems a bit oblivious in battle."

"That's true," Misya said sheepishly. She smiled as she added, "That's good to hear though. I feel kind of awkward now for worrying about it."

"It shows that you care about them, which is important," Tenga said.

"Good point," Misya said.

The group took their time traveling, watching the Pokémon having fun as they went. This lasted until around midday, when something interrupted them.

It was Misya who noticed it first. As they were going down a hill, she caught sight of a flash of yellow. A mouse-like creature was running up a hill, and soon vanished behind it.

"Huh? Did any of you see that?" Misya asked.

"See what?" Kyra said.

"I think it was a Pokémon." She indicated to where it had gone.

"Um… are you sure it went that way?" Grisom pointed behind them. "Because now it looks like it's over there."

They turned to see the mouse on the hill there. It bounced up and down before vanishing behind the hill.

"But I just saw it over there!" Misya protested. She halted at seeing it turn up at a hill near that one, but considerably farther than where it had last been seen. "How does it do that?"

"Now it's over there!" Kyra said. "…Or not?"

It actually turned out to be the Riolu that they kept seeing. It wandered by them, not seeming to notice them. They watched it until it was out of sight.

"Oookay, ignoring that, we should try to figure out how this is happening," Grisom said.

"How about we send Aves to that hill?" Tenga said, nodding to the hill behind them. "While we check out the other one."

"Sure. Aves, check it out," Grisom ordered. Aves chirped and flew away.

When they got to the other hill, they saw the mouse up close. It was a small Pokémon with red ears, a red tail that looked like a plus sign, and red cheeks with white plus signs in them.

"That's a Plusle," Tenga said. "Which means…"

A squeal sounded from behind them. Aves came over the hill chasing another Pokémon. This one looked similar to Plusle, except its ears were blue, it had a minus sign tail, and its blue cheeks had white minus signs. It ran over to the Plusle and the two fled together.

"A Minun. So there were really two of them," Tenga said, sounding satisfied.

"Should we follow them?" Kyra asked.

"We may as well see what they're up to," Grisom said.

They chased after the quick duo, going over several more hills and towards tall grass in the distance. The two dived into the grass, and they hurriedly followed them in. It was in a particularly thick part that they were halted, for out of the grass sprung several Pokémon. All of them were blue spheres with green leaves coming out of the top and two tiny legs at the bottom. They had beady red eyes and a mouth, but no visible nose. All of them were watching the group with hostile looks.

"That's a lot of Oddish," Grisom said, backing away slowly.

"Wait, please! We don't mean to harm you!" Kyra exclaimed. "We just saw those two and wondered what they were doing, so we followed them here…"

The Oddishes glared at the Plusle and Minun, who scratched at the ground with their feet awkwardly.

"Ammy, can you talk to them?" Kyra requested. Ammy nodded and went up to them. They regarded her warily, but listened to her talk.

"Here's a good way to prove that we're friends," Tenga said, reaching into his pack. He drew out some Pokémon food and set it on the ground before backing away.

The Oddishes continued to watch them, but the Plusle was bold enough to approach. It carefully tasted the food, and then bounced around with approving squeaks. That was enough to convince the Minun and Oddishes to try it. They appeared to like it as well, and the tension between the two groups faded to nothing.

"Good idea, Tenga!" Kyra said in relief. "Crisis averted."

"I'm just glad it worked," Tenga said.

Misya was watching them eat when she noticed another Oddish approaching. This one, however, was bright green instead of blue. It tried to get to the food, but was rudely pushed away by two other Oddishes. Its eyes brimmed with tears at the rejection and it slowly walked away.

"Why don't they like that Oddish?" Misya said, sounding shocked at the cruel treatment. She rushed after the bright green one and brought out some Pokémon food of her own. The Oddish blinked at her, seeming amazed, and then began to happily eat.

"Some Pokémon are strangely colored, like Hinata is. I assume that difference splits them apart, though it's not a good reason for them to put it down like that," Tenga said.

"Poor thing," Misya said sympathetically. Hama bristled a bit but did nothing more.

"Well, since we've pretty much stopped here anyway, we may as well have lunch too," Grisom suggested.

"Sounds good to me. I'm starved," Kyra said, looking through her backpack.

Soon they had set out enough food for their own Pokémon, along with a bit extra for the wild Pokémon. They all ate happily. Misya stayed next to the green Oddish and continued to talk to it.

"So, are you a male? No? Female then. You certainly seem shy. Have you ever seen humans before? No? Yet you're surprisingly open to me. How's the food, good?"

"Looks like Misya has made a new friend," Kyra commented.

"She probably feels sorry for her," Grisom said. "Not that I blame her."

The other Oddishes began to chat to each other after eating. The Plusle and Minun ran circles around them, playing with their Pokémon. All in all, it was a relaxing affair for the humans, who remained seated for some time.

"I never knew wild Pokémon could be so friendly," Kyra said.

"They can be, though not always." Tenga frowned. "But if they go insane, that'll all change."

"Yes," Kyra agreed. "That's why we must stop it before it goes out of control."

It was some time later before they finally decided it was time to go. Grisom said to Misya, "We'd better get moving."

"All right then." She patted the Oddish once before standing. "It was nice talking to you. Sorry, but we have to leave now. Goodbye."

The Oddish's leaves drooped, and she slowly walked away. Misya hesitated, but let her go. Sighing, she said, "Okay, let's go."

"We must be off," Kyra said to the Plusle, Minun, and other Oddishes. "Thanks for the fun afternoon."

The Pokémon also said their goodbyes. The Plusle, Minun, and Oddishes waved as the group left.

"I really liked doing that," Kyra said while they walked.

"As we travel, we'll find more wild Pokémon, all different types," Grisom said.

"And we'll be able to befriend many of them," Tenga added. "That's one of the great things about going on a journey like this."

"Yeah," Kyra said. She looked at Misya, who appeared a little downhearted. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes," Misya assured. "Just a bit sad to be leaving."

"You liked that Oddish a lot, didn't you?" Grisom said.

Misya nodded. "She was shy, yet she seemed to open up to me…" She smiled slightly. "I'll get over it soon enough."

That was all she had the chance to say before a cry interrupted her. They turned to see the Plusle running towards them. It stopped in front of them and jumped up and down frantically.

"What's wrong?" Tenga asked.

The Plusle said a string of things that the Pokémon listened to intently. When it was done, the Plusle began to run back the way it came. The Pokémon followed it swiftly.

"Looks like we have a problem back at their home," Tenga said, noting which direction they were going.

"Let's see if we can help," Kyra said.

The trip back by running was fairly quick. Once there, they saw the problem at once. A teenager and his Primeape were there, and threatening the Pokémon. The Minun lay in the grass, breathing heavily. Several Oddishes were scattered about, badly hurt, and the Primeape was about to go for another big group. But standing between it and the group was the green Oddish, shaking in fear but determined to protect its friends.

"What a pathetic display of strength," the boy sneered. "Primeape, finish it off!"

"Stop!" Misya ran between the Primeape and Oddish. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing what wild Pokémon exist for; I'm beating them up!" the boy said.

"You! You're the one that nearly killed Ammy!" Kyra said. Ammy snarled, all the fur on her body up.

"Hah, it's you again!" the boy said. "And this time you don't have that dumbass professor to protect you! By my name, Mor Hon Cass, I will defeat you this time!"

"…Mor Hon…" Tenga said out loud, slowly. "That's really your name?" Grisom began snickering.

"What about it? Primeape, teach them a lesson!" The Primeape approached, cracking his knuckles.

"Believe me, I'll enjoy this," Tenga said, eyes flaring. "Anyone who treats Pokémon that way has no right to be raising them, and I'll prove it to you!"

But before he could attack, the green Oddish ran forward. Misya looked surprised. "You want to fight?"

"Pathetic thing! Primeape, Low Kick!" The Primeape dove towards the Oddish and kicked her, sending her flying into the air. She landed, not looking particularly harmed.

"You don't even know what types of attacks to use for it!" Tenga said.

The Oddish shook her leaves, and a yellow powder came out of them. It coated the Primeape, who screeched furiously, yet seemed frozen in place.

"Stun Spore. Looks like it's paralyzed," Grisom remarked.

The Oddish proceeded to spray a purple liquid at the Primeape, who was visibly sickened by it. Helpless and unable to move, the Primeape could only stand there as the Oddish continued to attack it.

"That's Acid, but it's doing a lot more damage than I thought it would," Tenga said. "This Oddish is really strong."

The Primeape soon fell over, unable to resist the pain. Furious, Mor shouted, "You useless furball! Return!" He brought out another two Poké Balls and threw them. "Ariados, Croagunk, get them!"

One of the Pokémon that emerged was a huge, red spider with black stripes, purple and yellow stripes on its legs, and white pinchers and a small horn. It clacked its pinchers threateningly.

The other looked like a frog that stood on two feet. It was dark blue, had white bandages around its middle, black fists and feet, and pink cheeks, along with yellow eyes. Despite the menacing appearance, it looked rather unhappy and not eager to fight.

"You do realize you sent out two Pokémon that are horribly weak against the ones I have?" Tenga said. "Neji, Ranma, attack the Ariados!"

Neji used Confusion while Ranma used Ember on it. The Ariados screeched and fell on its back, already out of commission.

"You're all weak! Ariados, return!" Mor was shaking with rage as he recalled him. "Croagunk, it's all up to you!"

The Croagunk looked from Neji and Ranma to Mor. He slowly retreated, heading towards Mor, and then brought out a white flag from his mouth and began to wave it.

"What the hell! Stupid coward, get them already!" Mor shouted.

But the Croagunk was smart enough to know its fate if it attacked the group. Instead, it leapt up and smacked Mor in the head, causing him to fall over in a faint. The Croagunk saluted the group before slowly dragging his master off.

"Good riddance," Kyra said.

"You really hated that guy," Grisom remarked to Tenga.

"Yeah. I do feel a bit sorry for the Croagunk though," Tenga said. "He seemed to have some common sense."

Misya knelt in front of the Oddish. "Are you all right?" She made a nodding motion in response. "That's a relief."

Tenga went to the other Pokémon and brought out a Potion. He managed to distribute it evenly, spraying each of the hurt ones a few times. All of them were soon up. The Minun went to the Plusle and chattered at him while the Oddishes gathered around the green one. The green Oddish looked nervous at first, but the Oddishes then sounded a cheer. She flushed at the positive attention she was finally getting.

"You've finally been accepted!" Misya said to her. "Now you'll be able to get along with your friends."

The Oddish paused, looking towards Misya, then the Oddishes, and Misya again. She waddled over to Misya and rubbed against her hand.

"Huh? What is it?" Misya asked.

Kyra smiled. "I think she wants to stay with you. You did accept her for what she was a while ago, after all."

"Is that right?" Misya said in wonder. The Oddish nodded. "Then you're welcome to come! I'd love to have you with us!"

"That's great! Now you have three Pokémon," Kyra said. Hama grumbled a bit, but other than looking gloomy did nothing. Apparently she was getting used to the idea of Misya having more friends.

"That means you need a name…" Misya said. "How about… Leena?"

Leena jumped once, showing her approval. Misya happily brought out a Poké Ball and set in front of her, and Leena went inside. When the ball stopped shaking, Misya released her. Leena went to the other Oddishes and the Plusle and Minun, apparently saying goodbye to them.

"Now we're really behind on schedule," Grisom stated.

"Are you saying you regret helping them?" Kyra said.

Grisom shook his head. "Not at all. Just an observation. We should hurry on."

"I guess this is goodbye again," Kyra said to the wild Pokémon.

"Don't worry, Leena will be safe with us," Misya said.

As they left, the Pokémon waved once more, while the Oddishes chanted something. Apparently it was a praise, for Leena flushed once more.

The rest of the day was uneventful. The Pokémon played more games as they walked, though Leena did not join in. She covered her face with her leaves when Ammy talked to her and murmured something.

"She's probably shy after how all the other Pokémon treated her," Misya said, picking her up. From her position in Misya's arms, Leena was able to speak softly to Hinata. The two slowly got friendlier towards one another, most likely due to their similar personalities.

By the time night came, they still had not arrived at their destination. They set up camp and had dinner, with Leena daintily eating beside Hinata. When they were done, Grisom said, "I've been feeling uneasy with Team Remnant around, and there's always a chance wild Pokémon could attack. I think we should keep watches. I'll start."

"Okay. How about I go next?" Kyra said.

"Then me and then Tenga?" Misya offered.

"Sure," Tenga said. "Good night."

Kyra, Misya and Tenga quickly fell asleep, as did the Pokémon. The watch passed without a problem, so Grisom went to Kyra and shook her shoulder. "Your turn."

"Wha? Oh, okay." She yawned and sat up.

"Before you start, there was something I wanted to give you," Grisom said.

"Give me? What is it?" Kyra asked.

Grisom took out the Water Stone and handed it to Kyra. "This is a Water Stone. It evolves certain Pokémon, mostly Water types as implied. But it also evolves Eevees. They evolve into Vaporeon with it."

"Are you saying I should evolve Ammy or Tsuku?" Kyra said in alarm.

"No, not right away. Just think about it. It isn't like any of us can use it," Grisom pointed out. "If you ever want to evolve either of them, you have the option now. That's all. Now I'm going to get some sleep."

"Okay. Thank you," Kyra said, smiling.

"No problem, kiddo. Good night." He soon was out of it.

Kyra looked at the Water Stone in her hand, seeing it reflect the light from the stars and moon. _It truly is beautiful. I wonder what the other stones look like. Surely there must be more._ She sighed. _But I can't imagine Ammy and Tsuku evolving. Not yet. I'll save this. Maybe someday…_

Nevertheless, she continued to clutch onto the stone until it was time to wake up Misya.

To be continued…


	10. A Stray

And another!

**Chapter Ten: A Stray**

Misya and Tenga reported that nothing had happened during their watches in the morning. Kyra was preoccupied by the darkness that had filled her dreams once more, though no voices had come from it. She wondered if they were ever going to come back, and was not sure if she wanted them to or not.

Ammy whined and pawed at her worriedly. Seeing this, Misya said, "Everything okay?"

"Yes, thanks. I'm just thinking," Kyra answered, forcing herself to smile. "So how long until we reach the next city?"

"Not long now. It should be bigger than the past two we've seen," Grisom said. "It's called Sapphire City, and it's very close to the ocean."

"It's a good thing we're about to arrive. I'm running out of food," Misya said as she watched Hama, Yuki, and Leena finish eating. "My extra store was needed for Leena."

"I think we all need some more," Tenga said. "Along with some healing supplies."

"Oh, we're covered there." Grisom pulled a Potion out of his pack and tossed it to Tenga. "There, a replacement for yesterdays."

"You sure come prepared," Kyra commented. Her thoughts were briefly directed to the stone in her backpack, but she pushed it aside.

"That I do." Grisom stood up. "Everyone ready?"

They followed his lead. Since they were close to the city, all but Ammy, Hama, Neji, and Hinata were returned to their Poké Balls. Tenga had decided that Neji and Hinata deserved a break from their balls and to let Ranma stay inside instead.

As Grisom had said, they reached Sapphire City quickly. When they came over a particularly steep hill, they saw it below them. The white buildings sparkled in the sunlight, and the ocean spread out behind it, leaving a bright impression.

"You were right, it is big!" Kyra said, staring.

"It's a pretty neat sight," Tenga said. Neji and Hinata made noises of agreement.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Misya said.

When they entered the city, they saw many people going about their business. Several carried shopping bags and came out of the numerous stores. All of them wore shorts, along with t-shirts and other short-sleeved (or non-sleeved) shirts. The sun beating down on them showed why.

"It's hot here," Misya remarked.

"I noticed," Tenga said, eye twitching.

"What's wrong?" Kyra asked.

"I hate the heat," Tenga answered tightly.

"Oh, sorry," Kyra said.

Tenga shrugged. "I'll get over it. Can we go in there for a moment?" He indicated to a clothing store.

"Sure, though I don't know why you'd want to," Grisom said.

Once inside, they split up to browse. Upon grouping back together, they found Tenga was wearing a new pair of pants. They were orange with yellow, jagged lines on the bottom.

"Hey, those are pretty cool," Misya complimented.

"Thanks. They're for Ranma," Tenga explained.

Kyra lifted an eyebrow. "So you base your clothes on your Pokémon?"

"That's right. I'll be getting new ones if I catch any more," Tenga said.

"I knew you were weird, bookstore, but that crosses the line," Grisom said with a laugh. "Let's keep going."

When they left the store, a girl ran over to them. "Excuse me!"

"Yes? Can we help you?" Misya inquired.

"I made a mistake and bought the wrong TM at the store," the girl said, holding up a disk. "So I'm willing to trade it to you. But I want a rare Poké Ball in exchange. Something that can't be bought here. Is that okay?"

"Sure, I think I have something for you," Grisom said. He reached into his backpack and brought out a black Poké Ball with yellow lines. "This is a Luxury Ball. It makes the Pokémon it catches grow happier towards you. That sound like a fair enough deal?"

"Yes, thank you! Here you go!" She handed him the disk while taking the Luxury Ball and skipped away.

"TM49, Snatch," Grisom said as he examined the disk. "It'll probably be more useful than that Luxury Ball would have been." He gave it to Misya, who placed it with the other TMs.

"She said that they sold TMs here," Kyra said. "Should we take a look at them?"

"We have to be careful with our money situation, but I think it's worth checking out," Tenga stated.

After visiting the grocery store to pick up food, they went to a large building that had a sign outside that said, _Buy two TMs, get one free! Only this week!_

"That's a good enough deal to me," Grisom said as they headed in.

Inside they found many TMs behind glass cases. There was a major difference between some of them price-wise, so they looked carefully for some cheaper ones. In the end they decided on TM44 Rest, TM51 Roost, and TM82 Sleep Talk. None of them were that expensive, and they left with their pockets only slightly lighter.

"So, the pre-gym next?" Misya said.

"That would probably be best," Tenga replied.

They arrived shortly at a large, white building with many windows that were well above the ground. When they went up to the door, they noticed a sign hanging from it.

"Closed," Kyra said with a sigh. "Guess it can't be helped-"

She was cut off by a cry of, "Hey, you! Stop!"

"Catch that thing already!" someone else yelled.

"Huh? Did you hear that?" Misya asked.

"Yeah. Sounded like it was coming from behind the pre-gym. Let's check it out!" Tenga said.

The scene they walked into was quite a frantic one. There were three people there, two males and a female. They all wore a similar outfit, with a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants. On the sides of them were three green hexagons attached together in a triangular formation, along with a green stripe going horizontally across the chest. They also had black hair and green eyes. The woman was standing near a closed door, appearing confused. The two men were chasing an Eevee. In its mouth was what looked like a silver key, and it was running away from them. The men were not nearly fast enough to keep up with it.

"What's going on?" Misya asked the woman.

"That twerp stole our key!" the woman exclaimed. "Here we were, all ready to steal some TMs, and then it popped out of nowhere!"

"What? Steal TMs?" Grisom said, eyes narrowing.

"…Oops. Oh well. We'll take you out… once we get that key back," the woman said.

They looked to see that the Eevee was hopping up a bunch of crates to the side of the building. From there it leapt onto a wooden beam on the building next to it. This one was under construction, with only the bottom portion finished. The Eevee kept hopping up, leaving the men on the ground.

"Get back down here!" one of the men shouted.

In response, the Eevee went next to a switch that held up a scaffolding. With a smirk, the Eevee hit the switch.

"Aw crap!" the woman shouted, diving away from the door. The group was luckily a good distance away from it, and the woman was able to get out of the way just in time. The scaffolding hit the ground with a mighty crash, bursting into pieces and tumbling steel bars over the door. When the dust cleared, it was obvious that nobody would be able to get through the door.

"Damn it! You stupid mutt, this is all your fault!" one of the men yelled at the Eevee.

The Eevee's only response was to drop the key. It went whistling down and hit the guy solidly on the head. He cried out in pain, and the Eevee waved her tail tauntingly at them.

"I can't believe we were just outsmarted by a Pokémon," the woman said in disgust. "Let's retreat for now! We'll come up with a new plan." They fled, leaving the group to stare at the scene.

"There are more safety regulations for scaffoldings than that," Tenga said. "She must have set that up before they arrived…"

"That's incredible," Kyra said in wonder.

The Eevee hopped down the building and came in front of them. It carefully picked up the key and regarded them curiously.

"Hi there," Kyra said, crouching down. "We came to challenge the pre-gym leader here. Do you know where he went?"

The Eevee shook its head.

"Oh well. We'll wait for him then. We should probably do that anyway to make sure those people don't steal anything." She looked at her companions. "Right?"

"Of course," Misya agreed. "We'll make sure they don't come back."

"Though you were doing a great job defending the place on your own," Kyra said.

The Eevee's chest puffed out at that. It went to Kyra and placed the key in her hand.

"Thanks. I'll return this to the leader when he comes," Kyra assured. "Are you one of his Pokémon?" A head shake answered that question. "Are you a wild Pokémon?" A nod. "Then why defend this place?"

"Maybe the leader has been nice to it," Misya suggested. The Eevee nodded.

"That makes sense," Kyra said. "So, are you a male?" A head shake. "Female then. Do you have any friends other than the leader?" Another head shake. "Well, then maybe Ammy and Tsuku can be your friends. They're both Eevees." She released Tsuku, who regarded the Eevee curiously. Ammy jumped down from Kyra's shoulder and pressed her nose against the Eevee's, her tail wagging. The Eevee looked wary at first but then relaxed a bit and spoke to them.

"You're an Eevee magnet," Grisom joked.

Kyra blushed. "I don't know how I could be. They're supposed to be rare."

They were still chatting when a crash came from the front. The group, alarmed, headed for it. They arrived in time to see one of the two men vanishing through a top, broken window, and a third man well up a rope that led to it. The woman was not in sight.

"Hey, stop!" Misya said, running forward. But she was too late. The rope was pulled up after them.

The Eevee went into action at once. She ran towards the crates and leapt up them, jumping onto the roof from there and speeding towards the window. Then she dropped into the building.

"She may be clever, but there's no way she can open the door," Grisom said. He released Aves. "Could you go through the window and open the door for us?"

As if to deny what he had said though, the door swung open, and they caught sight of the Eevee's tail as she bolted away.

"…HOW?" Grisom said, staring.

"She's smart," Kyra stated before following. Grisom shook his head as the others went too.

The room they went through looked like a typical battle arena with polished wooden floors. There were three doors, and the back one was slightly open. They headed for it.

Inside they saw the three people, the Eevee, and the people's Pokémon, which were two Zubats and a steel orb with two magnets and an eye in the center that Kyra recognized as a Magnemite. The Magnemite still had a rope tied around it, showing how they had broken in. The three Pokémon were cornering the Eevee, who was pressed against the wall. She looked for a way to run, but they continued to close in on her.

"Not so clever now, are you?" one of the men sneered.

"Leave her alone!" Kyra shouted.

"Or what? There's not much you can do to stop us," the woman said.

"Aves and I disagree," Grisom said. "Aves, help the Eevee!"

The woman laughed. "That's rich! Magnemite, give the bird a shock treatment!"

Sparks flew from the Magnemite, and electricity shot out towards Aves. He screamed and fell towards the ground.

"No!" Kyra cried.

"Now that that nuisance is out of our way, Magnemite, you may shock the Eevee," the woman said, smirking. It prepared to do so.

But before the Magnemite could, a white light burst from Aves. He began to take flight again, and then started to grow bigger. When the light cleared, they saw that he was much bigger and looked quite different. His tail feathers were all dark gray, except the center one, which was white. In addition, his body was mainly gray, with a white spot near his neck. The head area was mainly gray, with a white star spread across his eyes and beak. Aves spread out his wings, screeching, and dove forward.

"Did Aves just… evolve?" Kyra said in shock. She had barely managed to recall the term from her readings.

"He did," Tenga said, grinning. "Now he's a Staravia. I'd say things have turned to our favor now."

Shocked by the transformation, the Pokémon were unable to act quickly enough to stop Aves. He dove between them and scooped up the Eevee in his claws, and then returned to Kyra and dropped her in her arms. Kyra held her close and found that she was shaking slightly, apparently relieved that she had gotten out of that close one.

"Bah, it doesn't matter! You're still weak to Magnemite!" the woman said.

"He is, but Ranma isn't," Tenga said, releasing him. "Ranma, Ember!"

"Wukong, help him out! Aves, get the Zubats!" Grisom ordered, bringing out Wukong.

The fight was over in an instant. The two Ember attacks easily caused the Magnemite to faint, and Aves hit the Zubats with Wing Attacks. The trio quickly recalled their Pokémon, now visibly sweating.

"Drat! We'll have to run for it!" the woman said.

But before they could get anywhere, a voice came from the door. "You three, put your hands in the air! You're under arrest!"

They turned to see a woman that looked identical to Officer Jenny coming into the room along with four other policemen. Clearly outnumbered, the three surrendered at once and were taken away, leaving the group and the Officer Jenny look-alike.

"It looks like you kids were able to handle this well," she said. "Those were Team Evolt members. I recognized them at once. What were they doing here?"

"They were trying to steal TMs, miss… um…" Misya said.

"I'm Officer Jenny," she replied.

"But we met Officer Jenny a while ago," Kyra said in confusion.

"We're all Officer Jennies, and we're all related to each other," she explained. "So that was what they were up to. No big surprise I guess. There are a lot of TMs stored here."

"Is everything all right?" a man said as he came in. He wore a formal brown shirt and black pants along with black shoes. His short hair was brown, and he had glasses over his brown eyes.

"Ah, yes, it is. These kids helped take care of the criminals," Officer Jenny said. "They were defending your TMs."

"Then I owe you my gratitude," the man said to them. "My name is Hugo, and I am the pre-gym leader here. Thank you for your help."

"It wasn't a problem," Grisom said, holding out his arm for Aves to land on. He stroked him a couple of times before having him and Wukong return to their Poké Balls. Ranma was brought back as well.

"Besides, this Eevee did a lot of the work," Kyra said. The Eevee waved her tail as she set her down and went to Hugo.

He bent down to stroke her. "Thanks a lot, girl. I'm sure you ran circles around them."

"She did." Kyra handed him the key she had. "She had that and gave it to me."

"Ah, I was wondering where my spare key had gone." Hugo slipped it away. "Officer Jenny, I believe the situation is now under control. Thank you for coming."

"Anytime," she said, saluting before she left.

"So does this Eevee have a name?" Kyra asked.

Hugo shook his head. "She does not. I didn't want to get too attached to her, so I didn't give her one."

"Huh? Why?" Misya questioned.

"Because I always knew she would eventually find a trainer she would want to go with," Hugo explained. "All I've been doing is feeding her and playing with her occasionally. She hasn't expressed any desire to be my Pokémon though. It's as if she was waiting for someone."

To confirm what he said, the Eevee stood up and walked over to Kyra, sitting at her feet and staring up at her. It took a moment for Kyra to realize what that meant. "Me? She wants me to be her trainer?"

"I wouldn't be so shocked," Tenga said. "You gave her the most attention and tried to protect her when she was in danger. Aves may have saved her, but you kept her close afterwards. She probably also likes Ammy and Tsuku. The potential to make friends is there."

"And you are, as I said, an Eevee magnet," Grisom pointed out.

Kyra looked sheepish at that, but said, "I'd love to have you along." She brought out a Poké Ball and dropped it. The Eevee jumped into it, and the ball went still.

Kyra let her out immediately afterwards. "Now, what to call you. How about… Ilya?" She seemed to approve of this and wagged her tail again. "Then that's your new name."

"In that case, I ask that you come here for a moment, Ilya," Hugo said. She approached him. He stroked her once, saying, "I'm going to miss having you around, but this is for the best. Being a loner doesn't suit you. Go with them and make some close friends." He took out a disk. "But before you go, I want to give you this, as a going-away gift and a thank-you one for defending this building."

"What is it?" Kyra asked.

"TM45, Attract," Hugo said. "Trust me, she'll make good use of it." He handed it to Kyra. "Here, give it to her."

"Okay." Kyra knelt in front of her and held up the disk in front of her forehead. A light flashed, and the disk vanished. Ilya looked excited and wagged her tail several times.

"Looks like it worked," Grisom said.

"Great. We'll move on to other important matters then," Hugo stated. "Mainly, I assume that you came to this pre-gym for a reason before realizing people were trying to break in."

"Yeah. Speaking of those people, what is Team Evolt?" Misya said. "Are they connected to Team Remnant?"

"Team Evolt is a group that tried to tamper with how Pokémon evolved," Tenga explained. "They also started several projects that were labeled inhumane. The team broke up some time ago though."

"So they were probably Team Remnant members," Kyra inferred.

Tenga nodded. "I'd assume so. As for what you said, Hugo, we came to try earning your badge."

"Fair enough," Hugo said. "I'd be happy to take on any of you."

With a nervous expression, Misya said, "I'm the one who will challenge you."

"All right. Let's get started," Hugo said.

He led them to the arena that they had passed earlier. Once there, Misya and Hugo took their positions.

"Good luck!" Kyra said from the sidelines. Ammy barked her encouragement while the other two Eevees wagged their tails.

"Thanks!" Misya replied, looking a bit more confident.

"I'll start with this Pokémon," Hugo announced, pulling out a Poké Ball and throwing it. "Go, Chroma!"

Out came a chameleon that stood on two legs. Her face had yellow lines on it, her tail was curled up, and a red zigzag stripe was on her stomach.

"That's a Kecleon," Tenga said. "It starts off as a Normal type, but changes to the type of attack used on it."

"That gives me an idea then," Misya said. "Hama, I choose you!" Hama eagerly went to the battle field.

"Hm, that is problematic," Hugo remarked. "Chroma's main strategy involves Focus Punch, but that won't work against a Ghost type. Ah well, we can still do something. Chroma, Thunder Wave!"

"Hama, Psywave!" Misya ordered.

Hama managed to get off the psychic attack before being hit by the Thunder Wave. She froze in place, and then began to slowly move. Chroma, on the other hand, was bowled over by the attack. When she rose, she was a purple color, though the red stripe remained the same.

"Thunder Wave is a paralysis attack," Grisom said to Kyra, who looked confused. "She'll have a hard time doing much of anything now."

"It's also a TM for Kecleon," Tenga noted. "I assume most of his attacks will come from TMs."

"Chroma, follow up with Water Pulse!" Chroma held out her hands, and a ring of water shot out of them. It hit Hama brutally.

"Hama, try to use Astonish!" Misya said. Gritting her teeth, Hama managed to pull off the attack. Chroma looked brutally hurt from it, and her color changed to a pale purple.

"Clever," Hugo said. "You can use Psywave, then Astonish, then Psywave, then Astonish, and so forth until she faints."

"That's the plan," Misya said. "Hama, Psywave!"

"Chroma, let's try to finish this up quickly! Faint Attack!" Hugo commanded. Chroma vanished, only to reappear next to Hama and swipe at her. She looked badly hurt from it, but managed to respond with a Psywave. Chroma swayed from the strike.

"Finish her with Astonish!" Hama still appeared pained, but pulled off the attack. Chroma collapsed to the ground with her eyes swirling.

"Chroma, you did well. Return!" Hugo smiled as he brought out another Poké Ball. "Let's see if you can handle this. Hitomi, I call for you!"

His next Pokémon looked like a blue rabbit with buck teeth, spots, red eyes, and a small horn on her forehead.

"That's a… Nidoran Female, right? I remember seeing a picture of one," Kyra said.

"You're right," Tenga confirmed. "The Nidorans can learn a lot of TMs, so it's fitting for him to have one."

"Hitomi, Shadow Claw!" Hitomi sprang forward with her claws trailing light purple smoke. She slashed Hama, and it proved to be too much for her to handle. Hama sank to the ground.

"Hama!" Looking deeply worried, Misya brought out her Poké Ball. "You did wonderfully. Return!" Afterwards, she brought out another one. "Looks like it's time for our first battle together. Go, Leena! Stun Spore!"

When Leena emerged, her first action was to sprinkle golden powder over Hitomi. Hitomi struggled to move but could not.

"Now use Acid!" A spray of purple liquid struck Hitomi. Though she was a Poison type, the Acid attack seemed to do a fair amount of damage. Encouraged by that, Leena used it again, and then again as Hitomi tried to break free of the paralysis. Finally, she was able to.

"Hitomi, Ice Beam!" Hugo called. A white beam came from her horn. It shot through Leena, encasing her in ice briefly before it shattered. She collapsed at once, and though she tried to get up, could not.

"Leena, come back!" Misya looked very nervous at this, but sent out her last Pokémon. "Yuki, it's up to you!"

The watchers were not encouraged by Yuki's first action, which was to dance upon being released. Hugo blinked, but said, "Hitomi, Thunderbolt!"

Perhaps it was due to the paralysis slowing Hitomi, or maybe Yuki had intended it to be like this. Either way, Yuki somehow managed to dance out of the way of the Thunderbolt, much to everyone's surprise.

"Um… Yuki, Powder Snow!" Misya said. Yuki spun in a circle, snow coming from her and hitting Hitomi. Already severely weakened, it proved to be too much to handle, and Hitomi collapsed.

"Hitomi, good work! Return!" Hugo said. "Looks like I'm down to my final Pokémon. Come out, Kendi!"

The Pokémon he sent out looked almost like a miniature clown. He had a pink body, a purple hat with a white ball at the tip, and a big red nose. His entrance was to spin around on one foot.

"Mime Jr.," Grisom said. "Misya should be able to handle him."

"Kendi, use Substitute!" He twirled and vanished, replaced by a doll that looked vaguely like a dinosaur with closed eyes.

"He's a Psychic type, right? In that case… Yuki, Bite!" Misya said. Yuki gleefully latched onto the Substitute and began to shake it around.

"Kendi, Calm Mind!" By the time the doll was destroyed, they were able to see Kendi gathering energy. "Now use Shockwave!"

"Try using Bite again!" Misya ordered.

Yuki managed to latch onto Kendi's arm before he could attack. He cried out and blasted her with a Shockwave, sending her flying back. But it was not enough to keep her down, for she sprung back up as if nothing had happened.

"Yuki, one more Bite!" Yuki ran forward.

"Shockwave!" The attack came too fast to avoid, and struck Yuki dead-on. Though she was weakened by it, she still managed to leap and clamp onto the Mime Jr. Pale and badly injured, he fell to the ground.

"Kendi, you did your best. Return!" Hugo looked somewhat surprised, but soon smiled. "Congratulations. You are the victor."

"Great job Misya!" Kyra said with Tenga nodding.

"You may be a walking disaster, but you nailed it," Grisom joked.

"Oh, you!" Misya said, pretending to be annoyed but too happy to look mad for long. "Thanks everyone."

Hugo approached her and placed a badge in her hand. It looked like a small TM. "This is the Tutor Badge. Along with that, I will give you this TM. It is TM90, Substitute."

"Thanks. I'm sure we can put this to good use," Misya said before putting it away.

"So you have three badges now?" Hugo assumed.

"Yep," Grisom said. "By the way, Jen says hi."

Hugo looked surprised at that, and then happy. "Thank you."

"You must be good friends," Kyra said.

"Yes," Hugo confirmed. "I used to be completely absorbed with things such as learning and data. I never thought of people because I was no good at making friends. Jen changed that though. She gave me Kendi, and from there, I learned to care about Pokémon and became a good trainer."

"That's a touching story," Misya said.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Hugo replied.

Before he could say anything else, a crash came from the front. The group traded looks of alarm before heading out.

Outside they saw two people, each with a Pokémon. One was a woman who wore a blue suit and black high-heels, had long blonde hair, and blue eyes with glasses. Her Pokémon was a small brown bear. It had a round tail and round ears, a yellow crescent moon on its forehead, and black beady eyes.

The other was a teenage boy that had a green shirt, jeans, black hair, and green eyes. In front of him lay a camel with light brown fur and green at the top of its only hump. Its eyes were wide and with small pupils.

"Get up, you stupid lump! Up!" To their disbelief, the boy kicked the camel. It made an agonized sound and tried to stand again as the boy prepared to kick it once more.

Before he could, however, Tenga snapped, "Hinata, Reflect!" She waved her arms, and a clear barrier appeared between the boy and his Pokémon. His foot hit it with a jarring crack, and he leapt around on one leg. "OW! Damn it! Who did that?"

"Why are you attacking your Numel?" Tenga said sharply, not bothering to answer his question.

"Because it's an utter failure and can't even beat a lame Teddiursa!" the boy said. "I, Don E. Cass, will not allow such weakness to be in my party!"

"Your name… that explains a lot. You're no wiser than your relative," Tenga growled.

"What, Mor? He's a little on the stupid side, so I gave him my old Croagunk to help out. He doesn't come close to my wits though," Don said arrogantly.

"You really think so? Then try battling me," Tenga said, eyes hard.

"You asked for it! Get back here Numel!" He tossed a Poké Ball. "Go, Sneasel!"

The only thing that happened, however, was the ball popping open. No Pokémon came out. They stared at it for a few moments, and then Don cursed. "It must have run away again. I'll strangle it when I find it!"

"I wonder why it ran off," Tenga said sarcastically.

"Shut up, wuss! You've lucked out for now, but I'll get you next time!" He grabbed the Poké Ball and ran off.

"What a fool," the woman said, straightening her glasses. "Kuma, return." The Teddiursa vanished.

"Did he want to challenge the gym, Aida?" Hugo asked.

She nodded. "I gave him a test run and he was horribly unprepared." She gave the group a curious look. "They were the ones who helped catch the thieves?"

"Yes, and Misya here beat me in a gym match," Hugo explained. "All of you, this is my trainer, Aida. She's a big help to me, especially since she acts as my secretary too."

"You know you wouldn't be able to get by on your own," Aida said with a slight smile.

"No, I would not, especially with all the TMs I need to be kept in order." Hugo paused, stroking his chin, and then said, "I am intrigued by how you act with your Pokémon, Misya. Perhaps we can battle again someday."

"Thank you. I would like that," Misya said.

"Then I'll say farewell temporarily," Hugo said. "Let us meet again someday."

"Goodbye," Misya said, and the other three echoed her. Ilya rubbed against his leg briefly before returning to Kyra as they went on their way.

"Interesting kids, aren't they?" Hugo said to Aida.

"Yes, very," she answered in an absent-minded tone, seeming disturbed by something.

To be continued…


	11. A Heated Battle

I owe a lot to CTA for thinking up several things to help chapters move along. He's done it before, but it's particularly noticeable in this one, what with the ship fights and everything.

**Chapter Eleven: A Heated ****Battle**

After a quick stop at the Pokémon Center, Misya let her Pokémon out and praised them for the gym match. Then she recalled Yuki and Leena, keeping Hama out. She seemed to stick closer to Misya and was in a more pleasant mood than usual. Kyra had also brought back Ammy and Tsuku, choosing to keep Ilya out for a while.

"Where are we going now?" Kyra asked.

"To catch the ferry to Igneous Island," Grisom stated. "That's where the fourth and final pre-gym is. There's a city there, Ruby City, which has it."

"Though it isn't the first one," Tenga noted.

Misya gave him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

Tenga grimly explained. "Team Evolt used to be a much bigger threat than now. One of their projects involved making a fake version of Groudon, a Ground legendary. But when they did, a Fire and Steel legendary, Heatran, was lured out to do battle with it. The conflict was so fierce that it split a piece of Lemuria off, which is the one we are on now. In the process, towns and cities were destroyed by the fissure. The original Ruby City was one of them."

"That's so sad…" Misya said, looking down.

"What happened to the fake Groudon and Heatran?" Kyra inquired.

"The two continued to fight underwater, despite being horribly weakened by it. The fake Groudon was destroyed, and Heatran vanished afterwards. We still have no idea where he is," Tenga stated.

"You sure know a lot about it," Grisom remarked.

"I studied the incident quite a bit," Tenga admitted. Neji and Hinata made chirping noises of agreement.

"Ruby City was rebuilt, but most of the cities weren't," Grisom added. "The rest, as they say, is history."

By this point, they had reached the docks. A ferry was nearby, with her name painted on the side: _The Forward_.

"What kind of a ship name is that?" Misya said.

"Well, it's certainly very forward," Grisom joked.

Ilya rolled her eyes while Kyra said, "That was horrible."

There was a man at the front who was collecting tickets. When he saw them, he said, "Do you have tickets or three pre-gym badges? If you have the three, you're allowed free passage."

"We do," Grisom said. He, Tenga, and Misya brought out their badges to show.

"Wonderful! Welcome aboard!" He stepped aside to let them on.

"I feel kind of left out badge-wise," Kyra said jokingly.

"Then you should face the fourth pre-gym," Grisom said. "It's only fair."

Kyra bit her lip. "I'm still not sure I'm ready…"

"If I could do it, you can too," Misya said. "Look at Ilya. She certainly seems ready."

Indeed she did, for she looked excited at the very idea of facing a pre-gym. It helped ease Kyra's mind. "Okay then, I'll try."

"You'll do more than try; you'll win," Grisom said confidently.

They reached the deck by the time the ferry began moving. Grisom said, "The trip shouldn't take very long. Igneous Island's pretty close."

"So we'll have plenty of time to challenge the leader," Kyra assumed.

"Is it just me, or is it still really warm?" Misya asked.

"Igneous Island is infamous for its heat. Only the Sandstone Desert is hotter," Grisom replied.

"Don't remind me," Tenga grumbled, clearly uncomfortable.

Luckily for Tenga, the sea breeze helped make up for the beating sun, and they were soon cool. They were beginning to enjoy the ride when they noticed that the water was getting rough.

"Maybe we should get away from the railings," Kyra said, giving Misya a worried glance.

"Good point," Misya said. They quickly backed away.

It was fortunate that they did, for a moment later, a huge wave came towards them, stretching over the deck. People screamed and ran out of the way before the collision. The water then swept away to reveal several red fish on the deck with blank eyes. They flopped about, saying, "Magikarp," many times.

"Blast, we have a Magikarp infestation," Grisom muttered.

"Let's see if we can knock them off," Tenga said. Neji and Hinata leapt down to help. Kyra, Grisom, and Misya sent out their Pokémon as well, though Grisom left Wukong inside his Poké Ball.

What followed was what many would call a hilarious sight. The Eevees ran about and Tackled Magikarps, sending them flying everywhere. Aves threw them off with his wings, and Sasori would Bite onto one and drag it off the edge, though he nearly broke his teeth from this due to the hard scales the Magikarp had. Hama Psywaved them away, Leena used Stun Spore to stop some from flopping around erratically, and Yuki seemed oblivious to everything. Misya recalled her with a sigh.

It was Hinata that ended the encounter. Since Neji was carefully throwing off Magikarp with Confusion, she wanted to try doing the same thing. However, her angle was off, as was the amount of power she put into it. Her Confusion slammed the deck and sent it tipping forward. The Magikarp scattered like billiard balls, sliding off with wails. Misya nearly met the same fate, almost tripping as the deck dipped, but Kyra grabbed her arm and clung onto a railing. The other Pokémon were either hovering or sure-footed enough to remain onboard.

"…Not exactly what I had in mind, but good work, Hinata," Tenga said. Hinata hid her face sheepishly.

Once everyone but Neji, Hinata, Ilya, and Hama were recalled, they cautiously approached the front of the deck again to find that the waves had calmed down. The other people cheered as they went back to their other places.

"I must say, that was amazing!" a sailor said, coming over. "You sure helped out! Take this as a reward."

"Oh, we don't need a reward," Misya assured.

"Yet you deserve one! This is TM03, Water Pulse. I am sure one of you can make good use of it!" he said.

Misya took it. "Thank you then."

"Yeah, we appreciate it," Tenga said.

Once the sailor had walked off, Grisom said, "And that's why I help people."

"You're beyond belief sometimes," Kyra sighed.

The trip was otherwise uneventful, and they soon came to the island. The first thing they noticed when leaving was the volcano, which towered above them a distance away. They also saw that the sky was completely clear, allowing the sun to be fully exposed. There were clouds, but not above the island; they formed a ring outside of it.

"That's interesting," Misya commented. "No chance of rain it looks like."

"Certainly not," Grisom said. "Anyway, the gym should be nearby."

They soon found it, a building with a tinted, domed ceiling. There was a sign on the front that got them all to groan.

"Closed AGAIN," Kyra said. "Think there will be more Team Remnant members here to steal things?"

"Probably not. We should leave for now and check back later," Grisom said.

"Yeah. Let's explore the island for a bit," Misya suggested.

"I'd rather find a place with air conditioning," Tenga said, but did not protest as they set off.

The ground continued to be grassless as they exited town, and it became rocky. It soon became a hike of sorts, going up and down rocky hills. It was from the top of one of these hills that they spotted two people and a Pokémon.

The first one they saw was the male. He looked to be in his early teenage years and wore a black trenchcoat over an orange shirt and dark red pants, along with black shoes. Despite this outfit, he did not seem bothered in the least by the heat. His bright red hair fell to his shoulders, and he had eerie orange eyes. His companion was a girl that looked slightly younger than him, who wore a pink t-shirt, purple shorts, and had brown hair and hazel eyes. She looked somewhat meek, hiding a bit behind the boy. They were both beside a huge orange dog with black stripes and white, fluffy fur on his chest, head, and tail. He was sitting beside them patiently as the boy looked around the area.

A moment after they saw him, he looked over towards them and gave a wave. They waved back and headed towards him.

"Hey there! I didn't expect to see anyone else," the boy said. "People prefer not to travel out here."

"Who are you?" Grisom asked.

"My name's Brand, and this is Pyre," he said, indicating to the girl. She bowed her head and gave a meek hello. "Don't mind her, she's awfully shy. Oh, and this is Madden, my Arcanine." Madden wagged his tail at them.

"I'm Kyra, this is Misya, he's Grisom, and he's Tenga," Kyra said. "We also have Ilya, Hama, Neji, and Hinata."

"Quite a crew," Brand said. "So what are you doing around these parts?"

"Just looking around," Misya said. "What about you?"

"We're actually searching for a Pokémon of mine," Brand replied. "He's a Quilava, and he answers to the name Bern. Have you seen any Quilavas around?"

"We haven't," Tenga said. "But if you want, we can help you search."

"Would you? I'd really appreciate it," Brand said, looking grateful. "I'm worried about him. Pyre and I will ride Madden and take the longer route to save you some walking. If you could keep going this way, I'd appreciate it."

"Okay, we'll do that," Grisom assured.

"Let's meet up here when we're done looking." Brand got on Madden and helped Pyre up. Madden then began to run down their chosen route.

"What does a Quilava look like?" Kyra asked as they went on.

"It stands on all fours, has blue fur on its back, and yellow fur on its legs and lower body," Tenga said. "Flames come from its head and where a tail would normally be. You should recognize him based on that alone."

"Thanks, that'll help," Kyra said.

They continued on their way. It was only a few minutes later that they heard a yell ahead. Glancing at each other, they silently agreed to their next course of action and headed for the source.

It turned out to be a man with a white, sleeveless shirt and brown shorts, both which showed off his muscles. Another man was with him and looked similar. The first one had dropped a cage on the ground, and inside it was the Quilava. The cage was glowing red, probably from the heat of his fires.

"I can't even pick it up without getting burned!" the man whined.

"Shut up and deal with it! You want to get revenge on him, right?" the other said.

"You!" Kyra said as they ran over to the men. "Release that Quilava now!"

"Huh? Why should we?" the first man said. "It's all the pre-gym leader deserves for rejecting us!"

"What? He was the pre-gym leader?" Misya said.

"I'm not surprised. It'd explain why he wasn't at the pre-gym," Tenga stated.

"He said we had to beat his trainer before we could face him, but she somehow beat both of us at once!" the second man said sourly. "So we decided to get revenge by stealing the leader's Quilava!"

Grisom sighed. "How you even managed to get this far is beyond me."

"It shouldn't be a problem to stop you," Tenga said, tossing a Poké Ball. Ranma came out.

"You take one, I'll handle the other," Grisom told him, releasing Wukong.

"We'll destroy your weak Pokémon! Go, Paras!" the first yelled. An orange insect emerged, with the two mushrooms on its back standing out the most.

"Go, Snover!" The other man sent out a tree stump, which had a top white portion with eyes and a pointed head. Its lower half was brown, and had a jagged line on it.

"…Grass and Bug… and Grass and Ice… You do know why you lost to a Fire pre-gym, right?" Tenga said flatly.

"Paras, Scratch!" "Snover, Razor Leaf!" the men shouted. Their two Pokémon got ready to attack.

"Ember!" Grisom and Tenga chorused. Wukong and Ranma did so, and the blaze worked instantly. Both the Paras and Snover fell over, out of commission.

"You've gotta be kidding! Paras, return!" The other man recalled his Snover as well. Then they both started to approach. "Fine! We may have lost with our Pokémon, but you can't hope to stand against us!"

Their threats were neutralized by the arrival of two other Pokémon. One was Madden, who leapt onto the first man and pinned him down. The second was what looked like an orange dragon. It had white claws, a yellow stomach, and blue wings. The creature easily lifted the second man, who wriggled but could not get free.

"A Charizard?" Kyra said, blinking. "Isn't that the evolved form of a Charmander?"

"A Charmeleon technically, but close enough," Tenga replied.

"Good work you two!" They saw Brand and Pyre approaching, Brand being the speaker. "Can you run them to the police? I'll explain their crimes to them later."

Madden barked and the Charizard growled. Then Madden picked up the man in his mouth and ran off, the Charizard following him by air.

"I didn't even think of those two while I was searching," Brand said as he bent down to the cage. "I'm personally amazed they were able to pull off a kidnapping. Hm… forgot to get the key from them…"

"Don't worry, I can handle it," Misya assured. She brought out her lockpick and was able to quickly open it. The Quilava leapt into Brand's arms, nuzzling him.

"I'm glad to see you're safe, Bern," Brand said, stroking him. He looked up to say, "Thanks a lot, you guys."

"We were happy to help," Kyra said.

Pyre murmured something, to which Brand said, "What? It wasn't your fault! Those men would have used any excuse to try that. You beating them was just the most convenient thing for them. So don't blame yourself."

"Okay…" She smiled faintly, flushing a bit at the same time.

While Grisom returned Wukong, Tenga left Ranma out. "At least you should enjoy the heat," he said.

Hama was not doing much, but Ilya walked over to Brand and barked towards Bern. Bern leapt down and began talking to her. Ilya responded by walking around him and flipping her tail. They could practically see Bern's eyes becoming hearts.

"She's… flirting with him…" Kyra said in disbelief.

"I don't think I want to know why," Misya responded.

Brand stared at the two, and then laughed. "Go figure! Anyway, is there anything I can do to repay you guys?"

"We came to earn the fourth pre-gym badge," Grisom said. "If you'd be willing to battle Kyra here, we'd appreciate it."

"Sure! That's no problem. Follow me, we'll go to the pre-gym." Brand started off with Pyre sticking close to him. They were quick to follow.

The trip back did not take long at all. Brand led them straight to the pre-gym, pulling out a key and unlocking the door to let them in. Inside they saw an arena, along with a door near the back.

"I want to check and make sure those guys didn't vandalize anything else here," Brand said. "Then we can start."

"Okay," Kyra replied. They went after him towards the door at the back.

Inside they saw a surprising amount of bookshelves, a desk, and a Pokémon sitting on it. It was a brown fox with six red tails and a curl on its forehead. Seeing them, it jumped down and ran to Pyre to rub against her happily.

"That's Foxy, Pyre's Vulpix," Brand explained as he looked at the shelves. "Everything appears to be in order… that's a relief."

Ranma approached Foxy to look at her curiously. She responded by eagerly tackling him, right into a bookshelf. The top shifted, and a disk fell from it, right onto Ranma's head. A bright glow occurred at the contact, and then the disk vanished.

"Oh no," Brand groaned. "That was my TM11, Sunny Day. Looks like it's gone now."

"I'm sorry about that," Tenga said, a bit surprised by the whole thing. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"Nah, it's fine," Brand assured. "I'll get another one later. More to the point, let's have that battle!"

While they went to the arena, Grisom remarked, "I was surprised to hear you were the pre-gym leader, considering your age."

"Yeah, they say I'm the youngest leader in history," Brand replied. "I managed to defeat the previous one with only my Cyndaquil, and that was impressive enough to net me the position." He took his place at one side of the arena. "Ready to go?"

"Let's do it!" Kyra answered.

"Okay! I'll start with Delbert!" He threw a Pokémon, and from it came a red slug that appeared to be made out of magma. It had two ear-like lumps on its head and yellow eyes.

"A Slugma. Considering how slow it is, I doubt Kyra will have much trouble," Tenga said.

"Tsuku, I choose you!" Tsuku came out at Kyra's cry and pawed the ground, clearly ready to fight.

"Delbert, Rock Throw!" The Slugma stretched itself out and began to create rocks, readying to throw them.

"Tsuku, Sand Attack!" Tsuku kicked a pawful of sand into Delbert's eyes. It made a squishy noise as it wildly tossed the rocks, completely missing.

"Good call on her part. Rock Throw isn't the most accurate move," Grisom stated.

"Now Tsuku, Tail Whip!" Tsuku began to wag his tail towards Delbert, slapping him with it. His body seemed to get even gooier from it, weakening severely.

"Try an Ember!" Brand called. Delbert attempted it, but Tsuku jumped out of the way.

"He should be vulnerable now! Tsuku, Tackle!" The attack hit Delbert head-on. He collapsed into the ground, eyes swirling. Tsuku had not come out of it unscathed though. He had a nasty burn on his head from the attack.

"Delbert, return!" Brand twirled another Poké Ball in his hand. "Delbert's purpose is to weaken the opponent, and he has done that with you. I'll have Kitsune finish your Eevee off!"

Another Vulpix emerged from the Poké Ball. At Brand's cry of, "Kitsune, Confuse Ray!" a yellow ball of light emerged from her and went into Tsuku. He swayed, looking unsure of what to do.

"Tsuku, Tackle!" Kyra said. But all Tsuku was able to do was slam himself into the floor. Not only was he hurting himself that way, the burn was also slowly sapping his energy.

"Now finish him with Ember!" Kitsune spat some flames at Tsuku, and it did the trick. Tsuku collapsed to the ground.

"Tsuku, return!" Kyra gave Kitsune an uneasy look before saying, "Go, Ammy!"

"Kitsune, Will-O-Wisp!" She released a purple ball of flames, and it hit Ammy, burning her.

"Ammy, Tail Whip!" Ammy slapped her with her tail. "Now Tackle!"

"Kitsune, Quick Attack!" Brand ordered.

The two of them collided with each other, swaying dizzily. Kitsune was worse off though due to her defenses falling. Ammy proceeded to Tackle her again.

"Ember!" Kitsune torched Ammy with the attack, but she was still holding on. She attacked with a final Tackle, and it was too much for Kitsune to handle. She cried out and fell to the floor.

"Kitsune, return!" Brand gestured to Bern. "It's up to you, Bern! Tackle!"

Already weakened severely by Kitsune, Ammy didn't stand a chance. She was out in an instant. Kyra recalled her, and looked at Ilya. "I'm counting on you, Ilya."

Ilya walked onto the field without hesitation. Bern stared at her, seeming unsure of what to do. Then Ilya used what had to be Attract. She twisted her body to show her sleek fur, making herself off to be a beauty queen, and winked at Bern. His reaction was to drop his jaw and stare.

"Bern, what the heck are you doing? Attack her!" Brand shouted. But he was out of the world.

"Wow…" Kyra said. "Um… Ilya, Tackle!"

Ilya proceeded to ram into Bern several times. Never did he fight back, seeming to be in a trance, and he finally fell.

"Good grief… Bern, return!" Brand shook his head as he recalled him. "Talk about an embarrassing loss, but it was still a loss." He approached Kyra and held out a badge that looked like a volcano. "This is the Kindle Badge. It's all yours."

"Thank you," Kyra said, taking it.

Brand handed her a disk as well. "Also have this, TM50, Overheat. It's a very powerful attack, but it weakens you after using it. Use it wisely."

"I will," Kyra said.

When she came over to the group, Misya was quick to say, "You did wonderfully!"

"It looked tense for a minute, but Ilya really saved the day," Grisom said.

Tenga looked thoughtful. "Do you think Ilya was flirting with Bern earlier because she knew she might have to fight him?"

Kyra stared as Ilya nodded, looking smug. "She really thinks ahead."

"You have quite the interesting party," Brand said. "I'd really like to see what those Eevees become later. Would you mind having a rematch sometime?"

"I wouldn't mind at all!" Kyra said.

"You're welcome here anytime. Soon you'll be facing real gyms. Good luck with those," Brand said. Pyre nodded.

Kyra smiled. "Thanks. We'll be sure to visit you soon."

After exchanging goodbyes, they exited the gym. Kyra could not stop staring at the Kindle Badge as they walked. "I can't believe it. We won. We actually won!"

"I told you that you would," Grisom said.

"You are becoming a better trainer by the day, and your Eevees are strong," Tenga stated. "It's no surprise you won."

Kyra blushed at the compliments. "Thank you."

A stop at the Pokémon Center was in order. Once the Eevees were healed, they headed back to _The Forward_ and got onboard.

"So where are we headed now?" Misya asked as the ferry left the dock.

"There's another ferry in Sapphire City, on the other side of the city," Grisom said. "We'll be taking it across the split."

"You mean the one the fake Groudon and Heatran created?" Kyra asked.

"That's right. On that side of Lemuria is the gyms," Tenga said.

"How much tougher are they?" Misya inquired.

"A lot from what I hear. We should train on the way there," Grisom stated.

The ferry ride went by quickly again. Once they were off, they walked towards the eastern side of the city to find the ferry Grisom had spoken of.

It was not hard to find. They soon caught sight of it and its name, _The S. S. Regi_. As usual, a sailor was standing in front of it. When they approached, he said, "Do you have a ticket or the four pre-gym badges?"

"The latter," Tenga said as they showed him their badges.

The sailor beamed and stepped aside. "Good job! You're all welcome aboard!"

Once they reached the deck, they leaned against the railings to watch the water. When the ferry began moving, they were able to see several Water Pokémon pass by. Tenga identified them for the group, spotting Horseas, Chinchous, Krabbies, Corphishes, and Luvdiscs. Kyra personally thought the Luvdiscs looked rather silly, and remarked on it.

"Trust me, they are," Grisom said, shaking his head. "It's like the creator of Pokémon ran out of ideas…"

The ride was a pleasant one overall, until they reached the half-way point (according to the captain, who said it over loudspeaker). It was then that they noticed a ship approaching, one that had a blue flag with a white circle, a small section at the top, and two short bones producing from the bottom.

The other people on the deck gasped, and one man said, "Team Aqua!"

"Team Aqua?" Misya questioned.

"They're a team that wanted to expand the seas by using Kyogre, a legendary," Grisom said. "Their rivals were Team Magma, a team that wanted to expand the land with Groudon. Both the teams split up quite some time ago though. These must be Team Remnant members."

They watched nervously as the ship got closer. Then a man with a megaphone came to the front of the ship and yelled, "_S. S. Regi_, you are ordered to weigh anchor! Let us come onboard without resistance and nobody will get hurt!"

"We will not yield to your demands!" the captain responded.

"You should know what you're saying! The _Lightning Lanturn #1_ takes no prisoners when going into battle!" the man said.

They were distantly able to hear another Team Aqua member shout, "That's not our ship's name, you twit! It's the _Ominous Octillery #33_!"

"You're both wrong! It's the _Tenacious Tentacruel #7_!" a third yelled.

"…Whatever our ship's name is, we won't have any mercy for you if you don't surrender!" the megaphone man said.

"Then show us what you can do!" the captain retorted.

"Fine! Tentacruel, Rain Dance!" Three blue jellyfish with red jewels on their heads emerged from the waters, and one began dancing. It started to rain, dampening everyone on deck. "Lanturn, Thunder!"

"Get away from the deck!" Grisom exclaimed, pulling Kyra and Misya towards the middle of the ship. Tenga swiftly followed, just in time to avoid the lightning bolt that crashed into the center. It exploded, sending wood and metal flying everywhere. People cried out in pain as they were hit.

"Octillery, Ice Beam!" Five orange octopuses came onto the other ship's deck and sprayed white beams towards them. The middle of the ship froze over.

"We have to launch a counter-attack!" Misya said. Hama snarled in agreement.

"Ilya, return!" Kyra recalled her Eevee to safety. "Sorry, but I don't see how I can help really…"

"It's fine, we'll cover it," Tenga said. "Grisom, you could have Aves bring Wukong over."

"I see what you're getting at. Good thinking! Wukong, Aves, help us!" The two emerged. "Aves, carry Wukong over! Wukong, Thunderpunch!"

Aves grabbed Wukong with his talons and flew to the mast. Once there, Wukong brought back his fist and then smashed the mast with a Thunderpunch. The electricity fried it, and it then started to fall. Team Aqua members yelled in surprise before running out of the way as it came crashing down.

"We'll help too!" Misya tossed two Poké Balls. "Yuki, Leena, come on out! Yuki, use Powder Snow! Leena, aim an Acid for the hull!"

Yuki's chilly attack hit the rudder, and it froze over from already being wet. Leena managed to launch a far-flying Acid that sank into the hull with a dull hiss.

"How can this be happening? Pokémon, attack them!" the Team Aqua member said. The Octilleries rotated to face Aves and Wukong, but Aves flew out of their range without trouble.

"We've done a lot of damage, but we need some more before we can sink their ship," Grisom realized. "If only it wasn't raining, Wukong could set it on fire…"

"I have it!" Tenga released Ranma. "Ranma, Sunny Day!"

Though Ranma had never used the attack before, he acted as if he was a natural by flooding the area with sunlight. The rain ceased at once, much to Team Aqua's alarm. But before they could react, Aves dived, and Wukong used Ember to hit their ship several times.

"Fire! We have a fire!" one member cried as Aves and Wukong flew back to Grisom.

"Then put it out! Octillery, take care of the fires! Tentacruel, Rain Dance again!" another ordered.

Though they rushed to put them out, they were too late to stop some damage. Much of the ship looked brittle now, ready to go under from one good hit. And Tenga was ready to provide such a hit. "Hinata, this is one opportunity where you don't have to worry about overdoing it! Use Confusion on their ship!"

Hinata gave him a fearful look, but nodded. She focused her power, and it came out in a complete rush, slamming through the ship and leaving a hole on both sides as it went straight through.

"No! We're sinking!" a member wailed.

"We'll take them down with us! Octillery, GIGA IMPACT!" the megaphone man screamed. The Octillery jumped off their ship and burst towards the _S. S. Regi_, hitting it at full strength. It held for only a brief moment, and then the ship cracked in half and started to sink. The scene stunned the group.

"Tentacruel, Surf! Finish them off!" the man yelled, despite his ship continuing to go into the watery depths. The Tentacruel brought up a huge tidal wave, which started to crest over the ship.

This snapped the group back into attention. They all returned their Pokémon, and Grisom yelled, "Hold on tight!"

But it did no good. When the impact hit, they were torn loose from the railing, and were forced underwater, where the sweeping currents instantly caught them.

To be continued…


	12. The Temple

Two in one day! This one was short, but really, I couldn't see any way to make it longer.

These next four chapters will be done on basically the same section of the timeline. My order of characters was chosen by dice. (And CTA wound up finishing the order. I couldn't roll anything besides twos and threes!)

**Chapter Twelve: The Temple**

Grisom slowly came to. As he did, he became dimly aware that he was on firm ground, a big difference from the water he last recalled. He also felt surprisingly dry; apparently he had been there a long period of time.

Sitting up, he found that he was on a beach. What really caught his attention though was the big building a short distance away. It looked like an old temple of some sort that was made out of yellowed stone. The size daunted him; if he went in, he had a creeping feeling that he would never get out of it again.

"What a stupid thought," he muttered, shaking his head. "More importantly, how did I get here? Last thing I remember was sinking, then… nothing. Damn, I hope the others are all right."

A splash from the nearby water caught his attention. He looked towards it to see a fish. Its top part was dark blue, with its underneath and tail fins being light blue. The tail fins had pink on them as well, and looked distinctly like butterfly wings.

"A Finneon…" Grisom said in awe. "I've never seen one before. They're as beautiful as claimed."

The Finneon swam closer to him and jumped up and down a few times. Frowning slightly, Grisom wondered out loud, "Why is this one staying close to me though? Usually Water Pokémon keep their distance unless you have a fishing pole or something."

Apparently the Finneon heard this, for it got even closer to him and fluttered its tail. Realization dawned on him. "I doubt I would have ever made it to land if I wasn't helped somehow. You saved me, didn't you?" It jumped again, confirming his doubts. "Then I owe you my thanks."

He thought for a moment, and then brought out a Poké Ball. "Truth be told, I've taken a liking to you. You're a Water type, which my team would find handy, and you saved me. So I'm going to try and catch you."

The Finneon blinked, and watched as Aves emerged from the Poké Ball.

"Aves, use Wing Attack!" Grisom said. Aves dove towards it.  
The Finneon was not ready to give in that easily though. It began to move its tail slowly, attractively, and Aves halted in midair, staring. Grisom slapped his forehead. "Well, now we know she's a female…"

While Aves was dazed, the Finneon spat a stream of water at him. Drenched, Aves nearly fell, but managed to beat his wings in time to avoid collision with the water.

Grisom changed tactics. "Aves, snap out of it and use Quick Attack!" Fortunately for him, the Water Gun had brought Aves out of his love state, and he dove for the Finneon and raked it with his talons as he went by. The Finneon let out a low cry.

"Great! Now use Wing Attack!" Aves sent the Finneon flying into the air. Grisom had already pulled out a Great Ball. He now threw it. The Finneon vanished into it and landed in the shallow water. He watched the ball shake a few times, and then go still.

"Good work Aves! Return!" After recalling Aves, he walked to the Great Ball and picked it up. He smiled before placing it with his others. "Another addition for the team."

That taken care of, Grisom said to himself, "I'd better keep exploring and see if I can figure out where I am." Sticking to the beach, he began to follow it.

It was about ten minutes later that he came upon his own footprints. He had walked completely around the tiny island, which only had a few trees and the big building. Grisom sighed. "Great. Just what I needed, to be stuck on a deserted island. My Finneon is too small to help me swim away either…" That gave him an idea, so he released the Finneon into the water. She still appeared injured but swam up to him readily enough.

"I'm going to call you Betta, okay?" The Finneon seemed to nod. "Betta, do you know the way to Lemuria?"

Betta thought for a moment, and then shook her head. Grisom frowned. "Oh well. It was worth a shot. Come back for now, you need to rest." With Betta safely in his possession again, he pondered on what to do. "I could try making a raft, but without rope that seems impossible. Trying to swim would be suicidal. But what else can I do? I'll starve to death, or dehydrate, or something like that if I don't get off soon."

As he continued to think, something caught his eye. He looked over to see a huge creature emerge from the water. It was a blue sea serpent with a yellow underbelly, yellow spots, white spikes, blue whiskers, and mean red eyes.

Grisom and the creature stared at each other for a moment before Grisom said, "Oh HELL no." Then he turned and ran towards the building.

The Pokémon was not ready to let him go that easily. It tried to catch up, stretching itself to full length, but Grisom made it inside and closed the giant stone door. A thud came from the other side, and all went silent afterwards.

"What the hell was a Gyarados doing here?" Grisom said shakily, wiping sweat off his brow. "I was lucky to get away alive!" He looked around to see darkness all around him. "Hm… it's probably still outside, so I may as well explore this place." He brought Wukong out, who looked at him curiously. "Wukong, I want to explore this place. So keep your tail flame bright, or we'll be walking blind."

Wukong nodded and concentrated. His tail flared up, revealing them to be in a large front room. There appeared to be nothing of interest, so they headed into a hallway on the other side of the room.

Inside the hallway, they found several carvings on the walls. They appeared to be of ancient legendary Pokémon; Grisom recognized the trio of birds, the trio of beasts, the Regis, the Psychic trio, and others such as Kyogre and Groudon. But the one that was carved most frequently was a four-legged beast that had a humped back. He knew that was Heatran, but why it appeared so often was beyond him.

"Looks like this was an old temple," Grisom said. "I wonder how it ended up like this?" Wukong could offer him no answers.

When they came to a three-way split, Grisom went left first. There he found two unlit torches. Once Wukong lit them up, he was able to find something lying on the ground. He picked it up to find out it was charcoal, a good kind that could be given to Fire Pokémon to power them up.

"An offering maybe?" Grisom shrugged and packed it away. "Not like it's doing anyone any good lying here."

The right room was similar, except he found a TM inside. He picked it up and read out loud, "TM25, Flamethrower." He took that as well. "Kinda feel like I'm stealing, but hey, I am a bandit."

The center hallway was his next destination. At the end he found what had to be the main praying area, for there was an altar and even more carvings, including a statue of Heatran.

"What a place…" Grisom said.

In response to his words came a deep snarl. Something rose up from behind the altar area. It was a red Pokémon with a hump on its back and several metal spots. It stood on all fours, its head was made of steel, and it had orange eyes that glowed eerily. It began to approach him, growling.

For a moment, Grisom was frozen in place. Then he grabbed Wukong and ran for it. The beast roared and pursued him.

"What-the-hell-is-Heatran-doing-here!" Grisom gasped out as he ran. Wukong clutched to him, eyes wide, and offered no explanation.

The Heatran was luckily slow enough for Grisom to get a good distance on, but he found himself stopped by the stone door. Grisom began to frantically push at it, with Wukong helping. It slowly creaked open, and Grisom and Wukong were able to leap out just in time. The Heatran tried to ram them with its head while they went out, but barely missed.

It was when they reached the shore that they saw the Gyarados was still there. It roared at seeing them.

"Oh great, we're caught between a rock and a hard place!" Grisom said, looking from Heatran to Gyarados. Wukong, though clearly afraid out of his mind, managed to get between Grisom and the Gyarados to protect him.

The Gyarados, however, ignored them completely. Instead it flew over to the Heatran and stared at it, hissing. The Heatran glared back. They continued this standoff for quite some time, Grisom hardly daring to breathe. Then, to his amazement, the Heatran slowly backed into the temple. The Gyarados watched it go warily.

"Whew… that was close…" Grisom muttered. But he froze at seeing Gyarados turn to him.

What happened next took him completely by surprise. The Gyarados shot his tail forward and grabbed Grisom with it, raised it to its face… and rubbed against him with a happy expression. Grisom blinked as it made joyful hissing noises.

"You're… tame?" Grisom said. The Gyarados rubbed against him again. "I guess that's a yes… And here I thought I was screwed. Could you please set me down though?"

The Gyarados reluctantly did so. Grisom said, "Thanks for the help, Wukong. I think it's safe for you to return though." Wukong vanished into his Poké Ball. Grisom then turned to the Gyarados and said, "Are you a trainer's Pokémon?"

In response, the Gyarados dove into the water. It emerged a moment later and carefully set an item in front of Grisom. It turned out to be a Poké Ball.

"So you do have a trainer, but you got separated?" Grisom assumed as he picked up the Poké Ball.

The Gyarados gave a sad nod.

"I see… Well, I'll tell you what," Grisom said to him. "If you can get me back to Lemuria, I'll help you find your trainer again. It might take a while, but I'll do what I can."

With a joyful roar, the Gyarados tackled Grisom to the ground. Winded, he managed to gasp, "Okay, I get it, you're happy, now let me up!" It moved aside to let him stand. "Okay, just to get this straight, are you a male?" It nodded. "Good, I'll start calling you he instead of it then. Let's get moving!"

The Gyarados lay down so that Grisom could get on his head. Then he went into the water with a large splash.

Grisom found the trip to Lemuria to be an excellent one. The ride was fast, and the wind speeding by him felt wonderful. The Gyarados seemed to enjoy it too, as he constantly roared in pleasure. Any Water Pokémon that they saw would quickly swim away, probably out of fear of the Gyarados. In what seemed like no time at all, Grisom caught sight of Lemuria.

"You found it! I owe you a lot," Grisom said. The Gyarados grinned in response.

Suddenly, something crashed into the Gyarados, causing it to yelp in pain. Grisom looked down to see a bunch of pink, heart-shaped fish in the water.

"Well well, as Alec would say, it's a bunch of Emofish," Grisom joked. The Gyarados gave him a confused look while the Luvdisc took the remark most seriously. They tried to use Water Gun on Grisom, who quickly ducked out of the way.

"Usually they wouldn't attack without being provoked though…" Grisom took a closer look, and saw that their eyes were wide and white. "Looks like they're insane. Fine, we'll take care of this. Betta, go!"

Betta appeared underwater. Grisom shouted, "Betta, Pound!"

What happened appeared to be quite a match. While Betta used Pound on as many Luvdisc as possible, the Luvdisc retorted with Tackle. Betta was being injured many times, but the Luvdisc appeared quite weak, for she was able to one hit knockout many of them. Grisom began tossing Poké Balls left and right, catching them by the bucketload and then releasing them. The docile ones would swim away, leaving them to continue fighting.

Finally, Betta finished off the last one, and Grisom released it. "Geez, that took up all the balls Parker gave me. Good work, Betta. Return." After that, he patted the Gyarados. "Let's get moving to land. I'm more than ready to continue on."

The Gyarados nodded, nearly knocking Grisom off, and proceeded. They soon made it to land, and the Gyarados set Grisom down.

"Thanks again. I'm going to recall you now, and I'll see what I can do to find your trainer, okay?" Grisom said. The Gyarados nodded eagerly. "Come on back then." He brought the Gyarados into its Poké Ball and stored it in his pack.

He continued along from where he had wound up. The area he recognized as the Scoria Plains. There was much tall, thick grass all around him, and he caught sight of many Pokémon darting through it. None bothered him, he was relieved to see. After all he had gone through, he wanted some peace and quiet.

It was approaching nightfall when he finally caught sight of a huge city ahead. He smiled to himself. "Diamond City. I've made it. Now I just have to hope everyone else did." He walked down towards it.

To be continued…


	13. An Ugly Situation

This is probably the shortest chapter I will ever write. There just wasn't much that happened here. It was also hard to write, but ah well, it's done now.

**Chapter Thirteen: An Ugly Situation**

When Misya woke up, she was lying on a rock in the waters. She sat up but kept her grip on the rock as she did. Doing so caused her to groan, for her body ached.

"What… happened?" Misya tried to recall, and the memories came back to her in a rush. "Oh no! What is everyone else was…" She shook her head fiercely. "No. They have to still be alive!"

Looking to the side, she saw the shore was nearby. She lowered herself into the water carefully and found that she could stand in it. Encouraged by this, she began to wade her way towards the shore.

Unfortunately for her, she encountered a slick rock about halfway there and tripped, falling face-first into the water. She emerged with a gasp, in time to hear the sound of a Poké Ball close. A quick glance revealed that she had dropped her Great Ball, and it was now lying underwater.

"Did… did I just…?" She picked up the Great Ball and gave it a hesitant look before continuing to venture towards the shore. When she finally reached it, she reluctantly tossed the Great Ball towards the water.

Out of it came the ugliest Pokémon Misya has ever seen. It was a yellow fish with brown spots and blue fins. Its eyes had black rings around them and had tiny pupils, while its red lips were oversized.

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, and then Misya exclaimed, "What the heck is this thing?"

The Pokémon responded by happily jumping in the water, not seeming offended by the comment in the slightest. Misya covered her face with a groan. "Why me? That's the second Great Ball I've lost to a Pokémon I didn't want to catch! And this one's about the most disgusting thing I could imagine!" She watched it jumping and sighed. "At least it seems eager enough to please. I guess I'll keep you for now. Return." She recalled it and placed the Great Ball away. When seeing her other balls, she brought them out and called out her other Pokémon. Hama, Yuki, and Leena came out immediately, Hama and Leena looking worried. Yuki seemed oblivious to everything as usual.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," Misya said to them. "But I'm not sure about the rest of the group. We must have been separated. I was lucky to get out of it alive, but they might be… might be…" She put her hands over her face.

Leena hopped to her and ran her leaves over her arm, trying to reassure her. Hama appeared too concerned for Misya to be jealous, and she nudged her a few times. Even Yuki got her act together enough to rub against her.

Misya managed to smile as she lowered her hands. "Thank you. It really helps to have you as friends." She stood. "We should go towards the next city. Everyone else will probably be headed towards there." The Pokémon seemed to agree, so Misya recalled Yuki and Leena. Hama remained out as usual.

They were about to leave when Misya spotted something. It was a patch of yellow amongst the brown rocks further down the shore. Overcome by curiosity, Misya headed towards it with Hama following.

It turned out to be a torn bag. It appeared to be ripped in half, but the bag strap was still on it and looped around a rock. Misya carefully lifted it off and looked inside to see three Poké Balls and a Great Ball. She removed them and set the remains of the bag aside. "Look at these, Hama."

Hama examined them warily, as did Misya. "Think we should see if there's anyone inside them?" Though Hama appeared unsure of it, she nodded, so Misya tossed the balls.

Out of the Great Ball came a big, blue bell-like Pokémon. It had two red eyes near its base, two arms, and a handle, along with dark blue markings. It hung in midair, looking startled.

One of the Poké Balls released a rough boulder with brown arms, legs, and a head. It had white claws and red eyes, which examined the scene with a bemused expression. Another revealed a green Pokémon that had red roses on its left hand and blue ones on its right. Its head had a white rose, and it had yellow eyes. The final one was a pink slug with a brown shell and two horns. Its black, beady eyes blinked a few times.

All of the Pokémon appeared confused and distorted. When they saw Misya, they eyed her cautiously and kept their distance.

"So there were Pokémon inside…" Misya said. "Maybe another trainer on the ship lost them in the wreck." She directed to them, "I found your Poké Balls on the shore. What you do next is up to you though. If you want to go out and search for your trainer, you can. Or you can stay in your Poké Balls and I can try to find your trainer. Which would you prefer?"

The Pokémon looked at each other, and then turned to Misya. They turned into light and vanished into their Poké Balls.

"I guess that answers my question," Misya said. She put the Poké Balls into her pack. As she did, she checked her supplies. Some of the food was ruined, but the rest of it and the TMs looked to be perfectly fine. She was surprised by the TMs being fine, but was relieved as well. After putting it all away, she said to Hama, "Let's see if we can find the next city."

"You're not going anywhere!" A man wearing a Team Aqua outfit and with a beard emerged. A Poké Ball was in his hand, and his outfit was soaked. "You're the scallywag that destroyed my ship! I won't let you get away with it!"

"So you're the ship's captain?" Misya said.

"Was, until it was sunken, along with my crew! Carvanha, teach her a lesson!" The captain sent out a fish that was blue on the top, red on the bottom, and had yellow fins and a yellow mark on its huge jaw. It was in the water, and it snapped at her.

"I don't really want to fight, but you haven't given me much choice," Misya said. "Leena, come on out! Use Absorb!"

Leena appeared and used the attack before the Carvanha could react. It sapped a lot of his energy and left him barely afloat.

"Carvanha, Bite!" The fish leapt out of the water to come soaring towards Leena.

"Use Absorb again!" Leena sapped the energy from him as he flew at her. Completely weakened, he collapsed to the ground by the time he reached her.

"Carvanha, return! Go, Corphish!" A red crab with three spikes on its head and a tan underbelly emerged. "Vicegrip!"

The Corphish latched onto Leena with its pinchers, hurting her badly. However, she managed to use Absorb once more, healing herself as the Corphish collapsed.

"This is ridiculous! Corphish, return! Poochyena, I choose you!" A Poochyena appeared and growled at Leena.

"Leena, switch to Acid!" The poison attack caught the Poochyena in the face, and it whimpered as it fell.

"Poochyena, return!" The captain backed away nervously. "How could I be beaten by a single Oddish?"

Seeing his behavior, Misya was seized by a sudden idea. "Now that you're out of Pokémon, you're defenseless. There's nothing to stop Leena from attacking you."

"Hah! Like I'm scared of a little Oddish," he said, but his voice wavered.

"You should be. Leena has sapped the life force of many people," Misya said. "Once she starts battling, she starts to get a bloodlust, and will continue to fight until I tell her to stop."

"R-really?" the captain said feebly. Leena gave Misya a completely confused look.

"Absolutely. So if you don't want me to have her go after you, you'll take me to the next city," Misya said. "You must know where it is. If you don't… I don't have to tell you what happens next."

"Okay, okay, I'll do it!" the captain said hurriedly. "I'll show you there and we'll arrive by nightfall, I swear!"

"Good." Misya recalled Leena. "Then we had best start moving."

Still frightened by the possibility of being attacked by an angry weed monster, the captain kept to his word. They arrived in sight of Diamond City just as night came. Misya said to him, "Thank you for bringing me here. You may go now."

"Gladly!" He ran off.

Misya looked to Hama. "I can't believe he fell for that one, but it worked out in the end. Let's see if we can find everyone else." They started walking towards the city.

To be continued…


	14. Devotion

Okay, this chapter was pretty short too, but it was easier for me to write than the other one for some reason.

**Chapter Fourteen: Devotion**

Tenga had gotten lucky. Out of all the group members, he was the only one to have been washed onto shore without outside help. He laid there, unconscious from his experience, which made him the perfect target for a certain Pokémon.

The one that came up to him was a small, purple monkey with a yellow stomach and a three-fingered white hand on the end of its tail. It had a goofy grin on its face as it examined Tenga. Then its hand shot out, plucking two Poké Balls from his waist. The third it took in its paws. It proceeded to run off, giggling to itself.

…

It was some time later that Tenga began to come to. He was dully aware of something nudging his shoulder. Then he felt a weight on his chest, and a warm tongue licked his face.

"Ah!" He sat up hurriedly, sending the creature on his chest tumbling to the ground. It jumped up eagerly though and barked at him, wagging its tail.

The Pokémon before him looked like a baby lion. Its back end was covered with black fur, as was its tail, which had a four-pointed star-like object on its tip. The front of its body was blue, as was its head, and it had yellow stripes around its front legs. Its yellow eyes watched him innocently.

"You're a Shinx?" Tenga said, to which the Pokémon barked. "What were you doing? Trying to wake me up? But why?"

The Shinx responded by running in a tight circle, chasing his tail. He leapt up and down in front of Tenga excitedly. Blinking, Tenga said, "You wanted to play?"

This was apparently the right answer, for the Shinx seemed even more energetic at the thought of it. Tenga could not help but smile in amusement at its actions. "You're certainly eager. All right, I guess I could introduce you to my Pokémon…" He reached to his waist, only to pause in alarm. "My Poké Balls… where did they go?" His expression became one of horror as he said, "Did they get lost in the water? If they were, I'll probably never find them again!"

The Shinx cocked its head at his words. Before Tenga could start panicking, the Shinx sniffed at him, and then began to run along the grass. It stopped when it saw that Tenga had not moved and barked at him.

"Are you saying they were taken this way?" Tenga said hopefully, knowing his chances of recovering them would be much higher if so. The Shinx bounced up and down before continuing down the path. Tenga hurriedly got up and followed it.

The area they were in looked like the plains, with long grass and flat land. Tenga barely noticed his surroundings though, for he was too caught up in his thoughts. "But even if my Pokémon are nearby, Kyra, Grisom, and Misya must have been carried in different directions. If they… No, I'm sure they survived." He tried to push such thoughts out of his head as he walked.

On the other hand, the Shinx seemed to have nothing bothering it. It continued to lead the way, happily wagging its tail as it did. Sometimes it got too far ahead of Tenga and had to backtrack, giving him a puzzled look as if to ask what was taking him so long.

"I'm just as eager to get there as you are, but you've got a lot more energy," Tenga told the Shinx. It blinked, and then ran in a circle before continuing.

As they continued, the plains began to diminish. The ground got rockier, and he began to see some trees scattered across the land. Despite the changes, the Shinx continued to track faithfully. It finally stopped in front of a tree, looking upwards expectantly.

"This is where my Poké Balls are?" Tenga said doubtfully. "How would they have gotten up a tree?"

The answer presented itself as the purple monkey emerged. It looked down at them for a moment, and then grinned and brought out the three Poké Balls using its tail. It began to juggle them and made mocking gestures with its paws.

"So it was an Aipom," Tenga realized. "Looks like we have a thief on our hands."

The Shinx growled and tried to climb up the tree, but hardly even got off the ground. The Aipom laughed at its plight.

"You're willing to help me against this Aipom?" Tenga asked the Shinx. It nodded while pawing at the tree. "Then we just need a way for you to reach him. Hm… what would Dad do in this situation…" He stopped, blinked, and rolled his eyes. "May as well try it. Come here for a moment, would you?"

The Shinx went up to him and did not protest as Tenga picked it up. Tenga swung his arm back, and then threw the Shinx straight at the Aipom. The Aipom's eyes widened as the Shinx crashed into it and latched on with its teeth. The two of them came tumbling down and landed on the ground, with the Poké Balls rolling away from the Aipom.

Tenga facepalmed at the sight of it. "I can't believe that actually worked…"

The two Pokémon leapt up and faced each other. The Aipom bared its claws and began to Scratch at the Shinx, leaving several shallow scrapes. The Shinx responded by Tackling its foe. Tenga watched the slow fight in exasperation. "I wish this Shinx knew Thunder Fang… probably too young to though…"

The Shinx heard him, and it opened its mouth. Electricity sparked from it as it sunk its teeth into the Aipom, sending a good jolt through it. With fried fur standing on its ends, the Aipom screeched and ran off.

Tenga stared as the Shinx did a victory howl. "It just used Thunder Fang… It must have had advanced parents to know that already…"

The Shinx went over to Tenga's Poké Balls and picked one up in its mouth before walking up to him. Tenga was pulled out of his musing and smiled at the sight. "Thanks for everything you've done. These are my friends, so it means a lot to me that you helped get them back." Tenga accepted the Poké Ball and lifted the two others. He then threw them at the ground to release his Pokémon.

All of them came out immediately. Hinata rushed to Tenga, who picked her up and patted her a few times to comfort her. Neji and Ranma were better off, merely looking confused, though concerned as well.

"The ship went down, but I must have been washed ashore," Tenga said. "I don't know where everyone else is, though I plan on trying to find them soon. I wasn't able to release you until now because an Aipom stole your Poké Balls." They gave him a blank look. "Yes, I'm serious. Are you all okay?"

All of them nodded, and then glanced at the Shinx curiously. Tenga said, "This Shinx helped me find you. I'm very grateful to… him? Are you a him?" The Shinx barked in approval. "Apparently."

Ranma approached the Shinx and chirped a greeting. The Shinx wagged his tail in response. Neji also approached to get a good look at him, and Tenga lowered Hinata so she could meet him too. The Shinx beamed at all of the attention he was getting and barked greeting to them.

Once they had had enough time to get acquainted, Tenga said, "I hate to break this up, but we should start heading towards the next city. I'm sure that's where the others will be heading."

His Pokémon seemed to agree. The Shinx tilted his head and gave Tenga a curious look. Seeing this, Tenga said, "What will you do? Do you want to walk with us for a while? Or are you going to go back to your home?"

The Shinx considered this, and then let out a bark before running away. Tenga and the Pokémon followed for a short distance. The Shinx, however, soon came to a big flat-bottomed rock with several cracks in it. He leapt up the rock and vanished from sight.

"Oh well," Tenga said with a resigned sigh. "I wish he could have stayed a little longer, but it appears he doesn't want to. Either way, we should try to find the city." He thought for a moment, and then reached into his backpack. None of the contents were harmed; his parents had fortunately given him a water-proof backpack. He brought out a map and examined it. "Judging by the terrain, I'd say we're here, which means we should go this way… okay, got it." He put the map back up. "You guys ready for some traveling?"

Affirmative responses were given, and they all set off.

…

The Shinx continued to run, his destination set in his mind. He went further into the tunnel that he had entered, finally emerging in a cave at the end.

The Pokémon he had been looking for were there. There were two of them, and they listened patiently as he spoke to them. When he was done, one walked over to him and licked him fondly. The other buffeted him with a paw playfully, in an odd way of saying goodbye. The Shinx gave them both a long look before leaving the cave. One of the Pokémon howled a farewell, and the other barked several times.

…

Tenga and his Pokémon were approaching the end of the rocky area when they heard a series of barks. They turned to see the Shinx running towards them. He then ran around Tenga repeatedly, looking very excited.

"So you decided to come back," Tenga said in delight.

The Shinx barked again and leapt towards Tenga's waist. He managed to bat off a Poké Ball, which he indicated to repeatedly.

"You want to be caught? To come with us as my Pokémon?" Tenga inferred. The Shinx nodded, and Tenga reached into his bag to pull out a new Poké Ball. "It'll be great to have you on the team!" He dropped it onto the Shinx, and he vanished into the ball.

Shortly after Tenga brought him out again, and said to him, "For a name, how about Gaki?" Gaki seemed to grin at that. "Then I'll say welcome, Gaki!"

His Pokémon greeted Gaki as well, all of them happy to have another friend. They then set off for Diamond City.

The trip was uneventful overall, with nothing happening to their group. The Pokémon very much enjoyed the chance to be out though. Ranma and Gaki had similar playful personalities, so they got along well and indulged themselves in several games of tag. Neji tried to stay out of it at first, but when Ranma slapped him upside the head and ran off snickering, that was the last straw. He went chasing after the troublesome Torchic with a streak of vengeance. Hinata, as before, preferred to watch from the safety of Tenga's arms, and Tenga himself was very much amused by the sight of them playing.

It was early evening when they finally reached Diamond City. Tenga smiled at the sight of it. "We've made it, guys. All we have to do now is find everyone else." With his Pokémon at his side, he entered the city.

To be continued…


	15. Old and New Friends

Two in one day!

**Chapter Fifteen: Old and New Friends**

When Kyra came to, at first, she had no idea as to what had happened. She had awoken to find herself clinging to a large piece of wood in the water. The clouds were dark and stormy, concealing the time of day from her. She felt chilled to the bone, and started to kick her legs to try and get some feeling back into them.

"What happened…?" she whispered to herself. Then she remembered the ferry sinking, being torn away from her friends, grabbing onto some of the wreckage to keep afloat…

"I survived." Her eyes misted as she murmured, "But I don't know if they have."

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a cry. She looked to see an Eevee nearby, struggling to stay afloat. It had just slipped off another piece of wood and apparently could not swim, for it sunk swiftly.

Kyra did not hesitate to dive after it. She was unsure of how she knew how to swim, but it was there, and she was able to grab the Eevee and pull it to safety. She gripped onto her piece of wreckage again and placed the Eevee on it, who was shivering violently.

"It's all right, you're safe now," Kyra said softly, trying to reassure it. "I'll get us to land. You stay on there."

The Eevee gave a feeble nod and continued to shiver from a combination of cold and fear. Kyra, with no idea of where to go, started swimming in a random direction, using the wood as a makeshift kickboard.

She got lucky, for a mere few minutes later, she was able to see land in sight. With a sigh of relief, she headed towards it. Soon her feet met the ground and she was able to weakly onto the shore, carrying the Eevee.

The area they had emerged in had a few scattered trees and was grassy, though there were some patches with just dirt. Kyra pulled some fallen tree branches over to one of the dirt patches and began striking two rocks she had found together, trying to make a fire. She was largely unsuccessful at first, but finally a spark caught and flared up. She placed the Eevee next to it and brought out her Poké Balls and wiped the water away before anything else. Then she set the contents of her backpack out to dry. Some of the food had managed to survive, and her Pokétech surprisingly seemed to be all right. That was the extent of what she had, having used most of her money already.

"At least we have enough food to survive," Kyra said. She sat next to the Eevee and smiled. "How do you feel now?"

The Eevee shakily got up and went to her lap. It was mostly dry now and felt warm to the touch.

"I can't imagine how you wound up out there," Kyra said. The Eevee shuddered in response. "What's wrong? You're scared? Of what, the water?" The Eevee nodded. "Oh, I see…"

Kyra trailed off at that, watching the fire crackle. Then she said, "Do you have a trainer?" The Eevee paused, and then shook its head. "Then you're a wild Eevee. I guess you'll be able to go on your way after you recover your strength."

To her surprise, the Eevee pressed closer to her and whimpered. Kyra asked, "Do you not want to leave?" Seeing the Eevee nod, she clarified, "You want to come with me?" Another nod.

This caused Kyra to hesitate. She could not believe that yet another Eevee had come by her. If they were so rare, why did she keep finding them? But she had already taken a liking to this Eevee, so she was not about to pass up the chance. "I'd love to have you along. Here." She set a Poké Ball in front of it, and it entered. Afterwards, she let it out again, and it rubbed its head against her.

"You're going to need a name. Are you a male?" The Eevee shook its head. "Female then. Hm…" After some consideration, she said, "Mary. How's that?"

Mary licked her in response. Kyra smiled once more. "Welcome to the group, Mary. Want to meet my other Pokémon?" She released Ammy, Tsuku, and Ilya. Mary's eyes widened, and she hid behind Kyra, but some coaxing from Ammy got her to come out and slowly approach them.

"This is Mary, and she's going to stay with us," Kyra said. Ammy barked in approval and Ilya wagged her tail. Tsuku, on the other hand, watched Mary carefully. Kyra looked grim as she said, "We got split up from everyone else, and I'm not sure where we are. Things don't look very good."

Ammy crawled onto her lap and yipped. Tsuku, Ilya, and Mary came as well, causing Kyra to giggle as she was flooded by the Eevees. "You're right, I can't let myself get down. We have to find everyone else!"

Soon Kyra was dry from the heat of the fire. The clouds had cleared up a bit by this point, allowing her to see that it was still early. "We have more than enough time to begin searching now. Are you all ready?" The Eevees let out a chorus of barks. Kyra dumped some dirt on the fire to put it out and stood up. "Then let's get going!"

The walk was fairly pleasant. Kyra followed the water so that she would not get lost. The sun told her the direction to go, so she set forth on it with her Eevees running around at her heels. This continued until she ran into another person.

It was a teenage boy that Kyra ran into. He wore a gray t-shirt that had two yellow stripes across it horizontally, along with black running pants and brown sandals. His hair was short and brown, his eyes were green, and his skin was tanned. In his hand was an old fishing rod, and at his side two Poké Balls.

"Hello," Kyra said to him.

"Hi! My name's Rask. Who are you…" The boy's eyes widened as he trailed off. "Wow! Four Eevees! They're so rare, I can't believe you have that many! Would you mind trading one?"

"Huh?" Kyra said, stunned at his forthright attitude. "No! I would never trade them! They're precious to me!" Ammy barked fiercely at him, as if to say, _So__ there!_

"Aw, please? I want them to help my team. See, I'll show you." He tossed out his Poké Balls. "Go Magikarp, Feebas!"

The Magikarp Kyra recognized from the ones that had flooded _The Forward_, but the Feebas was new to her. Misya would have recognized it though; it was the same Pokémon she had caught.

"They're my ultimate Pokémon! My Magikarp saved me when I was being chased by a Slowpoke, and I fished out my Feebas some time ago!" Rask said. "Think you can beat them?"

Ammy rolled her eyes as she stepped forward. Tsuku followed her. They both launched Tackles at the fish. Each hit sent them sailing away into the water.

"No! I didn't even get to use my ultimate attack, Splash!" Rask cried. "Just wait, I'll be back, and then I'll win!" He ran after the Pokémon, jumping into the water.

"…I don't know what just happened, nor do I want to," Kyra said. Ilya nodded while Mary blinked.

Other than that, nothing happened on the way there. Ammy and Ilya talked to Mary on the way there, getting to know her, while Tsuku watched silently. Then they caught sight of a familiar sight.

"Sapphire City!" Kyra said in relief. "Now we can find another ferry and get to the next city! I bet everyone else is heading there."

They entered the city and headed for the docks. But when they reached them, they found all the ferries were docked and banned from going to sea.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way any of them will go out to sea now," a man said to Kyra, who had asked about it. "One of the ferries was attacked by a Team Aqua vessel! The captain barely made it back to tell the tale. We're searching to make sure there won't be any future attacks."

"All right. Thanks for telling me." Kyra gloomily walked away with the Eevees following her. Ammy whined as if to tell her to cheer up.

"I'm trying, but it seems so hopeless," Kyra said. "It's like nothing can go right…"

"Kyra! Is that you, Kyra?"

She turned at the shout to see a familiar person, and smiled brightly. "Jason!"

"I can't believe I found you here of all places!" Jason said, coming up to her with Ace at his side. Everyone but Ammy looked wary, but Ammy wagged her tail at the sight of him.

"Neither can I! Everyone, this is Jason," she directed to the Eevees. "He's helped me before, but we split up shortly after meeting."

Jason blinked as he looked at the Eevees. "You have four of them now! Good grief!"

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Kyra said. "I just keep finding them, and they've all wanted to come with me."

"It's almost like destiny," Jason said. "So Kyra, where did you go that day we met? I tried to find you, but you had just vanished!"

"I got into a mess of sorts…" Kyra quickly told him about the incident she had had with Grisom, and what else she had been up to.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "A bandit? Are you sure you want to remain with someone like that?"

"I trust him," Kyra said. "I trust all of my friends. So yes, I do. Why don't you come with me to meet them?"

"I'd love to, but I have another destination I'm heading for," Jason said. "Sorry."

"Oh, it's all right. Maybe next time," Kyra suggested.

"Sure." Jason reached into his backpack. "But before we split ways, I want to give you something."

"What is it?" Kyra said curiously.

Jason produced an orange stone with a flame in the middle and gave it to her. "This is a Fire Stone. I was given it a long time ago to evolve Ace, but I don't want to force him to. That would be too much like my parents…"

"Your parents?" Kyra asked.

"Yeah. They believed in using Pokémon only for fighting. But I care about mine, so I don't want to be like that," Jason explained. "Eevees can evolve using Fire Stones, so I thought you might want to use one someday."

"Thanks a lot!" Kyra said. "I promise I'll make good use of it." She carefully placed the Fire Stone with her Water Stone.

"I'm sure you will. Well, I'd better be on my way," Jason said. "You're heading to Diamond City, right?"

"Yeah. I don't know how I'll get there though. All of the ferries are closed down," Kyra said.

"I have a solution for that. Raph!" His Wartortle appeared. "Would you be so kind as to help Kyra get to the opposite shore?" He nodded.

"Oh, thank you! That will be a great help," Kyra said.

"No problem. Raph, come to the Pokémon Center when you return, okay?" Raph nodded again and started towards the docks.

"I owe you a lot for all of this," Kyra said. "I hope we see each other again soon."

"Same here. Good luck with your gym quest," Jason said.

"Thanks! Bye!" Kyra went running after Raph. The Eevees barked goodbye before going as well.

When they got to the water, Kyra pulled off her Poké Balls. "You guys had better come back for now." The Eevees went into them without hesitation. Afterwards, she and Raph went into the water. Raph patiently allowed her to grab onto his shell before he began swimming.

The trip was much smoother than Kyra would have expected. Raph truly knew what he was doing when it came to swimming. The water was also warmer in these parts, which was a relief. They managed to cross in what seemed like no time at all.

"Thank you, Raph," Kyra said as she got out of the water and patted him on the head. Raph smiled before going back into the water.

Kyra released her Eevees again, and they set off in the direction that Diamond City laid. It was nightfall before they reached it, and though Kyra was tired from walking most of the day, the sight of the city was reward enough.

"We're finally here! Let's see if we can find everyone else!" she said. Ammy and Ilya barked in agreement. Mary looked nervous, but she followed quickly, and Tsuku showed no sign of caring.

To be continued…


	16. Meeting Up

I just wanted to say, thank you everyone who is helping me. Some are giving me really, really good ideas while planning and that helps in the writing process. And the readers help by showing their support. This message may seem a little abrupt, but I just wanted to show my gratitude.

**Chapter Sixteen: Meeting Up**

Grisom had been to Diamond City before, so he knew his way around. He made his way to an alleyway near the town square before releasing Aves from his Poké Ball. Aves sat on Grisom's arm as Grisom said, "I want you to search around town and try to find the others. Got it?"

Aves chirped and flapped his wings, taking to the air. Grisom leaned against the wall to wait.

…

"It's an amazing city, isn't it?" Tenga said to his awed Pokémon. They were all staring at the buildings, which glittered from the numerous street lights. Each light was a different color, making the reflections have a beautiful rainbow appearance. Normal lights came from the buildings, adding to the brightness of the night. Huge TV screens were at the tops of some of the buildings. Crystal statues decorated the sidewalks, all of them enlarged Pokémon. Tenga was able to identify many of them, such as a Meganium breathing on many flowers, a Charizard spitting flames at an invisible enemy, a Lopunny with a seductive motion, a Blaziken kicking empty air, a Slowbro with a dopey expression, an Electivire with the wires on his back sparking, and an Alakazam with a serious look. There were many more though, too many to name. Each of Tenga's Pokémon seemed attracted to different ones. Ranma admired the Blaziken statue, perhaps imagining himself as one. Gaki danced around a Mightyena, and then one of a Luxray. The Luxray Tenga could understand, but why the Mightyena? His thoughts on the matter vanished when he saw how captivated Neji and Hinata were by a Gallade and Gardevoir statue. The Gallade looked serious, the Gardevoir serene. Tenga himself was most captivated by a statue of a Rhyperior wrestling a man. The man was right next to it, his arms wrapped around it as if he was trying to lift it off the ground, with his face buried in its side. Tenga blinked at it, had his eye twitch, and muttered, "Could it be…? …Nah." He beckoned to his Pokémon to follow him and walked away nervously.

The town square was even more marvelous, with crystal decorations everywhere and lights dancing around. A fountain big enough to be a swimming pool was in the center, with a statue of a Gyarados rising from it, which spat water out of its mouth into the fountain. Some of the people there were watching their Pokémon swim in it.

"This is probably where we should wait," Tenga said. "They would most likely come here first."

As if to confirm that, Aves dove towards him. He stopped in front of Tenga, screeched, and then flew away.

"Looks like Grisom will come by here soon," Tenga said. "If any of you want to go for a swim, the fountain seems shallow enough."

Gaki eagerly jumped into the water and began to dog-paddle in it. The others stayed on dry land. Ranma obviously hated water, while Hinata clung to Tenga's leg shyly and Neji made a harrumphing motion, apparently too proud to do so.

"Suit yourselves," Tenga said, sitting on the edge, where his other Pokémon joined him.

…

Misya was just beginning to enter the town when Hama halted. Frowning, she tilted her head, as if she could hear something. Misya soon found out why when she saw four Eevees come dashing towards them, along with Kyra. "Misya!"

"Kyra, you made it!" Misya said happily.

"Narrowly," Kyra replied, grinning. "Someone I knew helped me cross over and I managed to get to the city from there. How about you?"

"I ran into the captain of that Team Aqua ship, but some… persuasion… got him to help me here," Misya said sheepishly.

"You did that?" Kyra said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm still not sure how." Misya beckoned to the city. "We should head for the center. They probably have a square or something where we can find everyone else."

As they made their way there, they caught sight of Aves. He waved a wing before flying off slowly.

"Aves! He must want us to follow him!" Kyra realized.

"Then let's go!" Misya said.

Aves swiftly led them to the town square, where they found Grisom approaching Tenga at the fountain. After taking in the incredible sights, the girls and their Pokémon ran over to them.

"Good work, Aves," Grisom said before recalling him. He smiled at the rest of them. "Glad to see you all came out of that okay."

"So am I! I was really worried about all of you!" Kyra said.

"Me too," Misya agreed. "But it looks like things have worked out."

"So what happened to all of you?" Tenga asked. "I had my Poké Balls stolen by an Aipom, but this Shinx helped me find them again. His name is Gaki, and he's traveling with me now." He indicated to Gaki, who was still swimming happily.

"I had a little more of a tense time," Misya said. "I met the captain of the Team Aqua ship and had to fight him. I won and made him escort me to town though. Oh, and…" She blushed. "I accidentally caught another Pokémon with my Great Ball…"  
Grisom rolled his eyes. "Walking disaster. What did you get this time?"

Misya tossed the ball towards the fountain, and the ugly fish came out and splashed around happily. Grisom stared with his mouth open. "A FEEBAS? You managed to catch a FEEBAS? Those are rare as hell!"

"But it looks ugly and useless… and it cost me my Great Ball…" Misya eyed him hopefully.

Grisom shook his head. "No more freebies. You should be happy you managed to catch one of these guys."

Misya sighed. "Was worth a try."

"You should take good care of this Feebas," Tenga said. "If you help it past its problems, I'm sure you would be rewarded."

"Well… all right," Misya said. "I feel kind of sorry for it anyway."

The Feebas seemed absolutely elated at this, jumping out of the water several times. Misya could not help but smile at the sight.

"My trip was pretty quiet. I found this Eevee and named her Mary after she said she wanted to join us," Kyra said. "Then I met up with someone who helped me to get to the city. His name is Jason, and he's a friend of mine that I had met once before."

"Very tame compared to what I went through," Grisom said. "I was pulled onto an island by this Pokémon." He released Betta. "This is a Finneon I named Betta. I caught her because I thought she'd be helpful in the future, and because she had shown she was loyal. There was a temple on the island, and I explored it, only to run into Heatran."

"What?" Tenga exclaimed.

"You mean the legendary Pokémon?" Misya said in amazement.

"Sure do. It chased me out, but I was saved by this fellow." He reached into his pack and brought out the Gyarados, who appeared in the deep section of the fountain. The group and the Gyarados stared at each other for a moment, and then it joyfully tackled Tenga. Tenga wound up with his arms caught around the Gyarados in a squashed hug of sorts, but was unable to let go before it recoiled. He found himself above the fountain, hanging from the Gyarados. With a blink of surprise, he accidentally let go. A huge splash showed the results of this.

"I should have mentioned, he gets… excited easily," Grisom said.

"I noticed," Tenga said dryly as he swam to the edge and pulled himself out.

"So you caught this… um…" Kyra struggled to figure out the name.

"Gyarados," Tenga supplied.

"Thanks. You caught this Gyarados?"

"No. He had his own Poké Ball, and apparently has a trainer," Grisom explained. "So I'm trying to help him find him trainer. All right boy, you'd better come back for now."

"That reminds me of something!" Misya said after the Gyarados had been brought back. "I found a ruined bag, and inside it were four Poké Balls!" She took them out and released the Pokémon.

Tenga indicated to the bell. "A Bronzong." Then the rocky one. "A Golem." The rose one. "A Roserade." And finally the slug. "A Gastrodon. That's a pretty advanced group of Pokémon."

"I said I'd try to help them find their trainers too. Think there's any connection?" Misya wondered.

"Let's see. You guys, do you know anything about a Gyarados?" Grisom asked them. They responded with blank looks. "Apparently not."

"You'd best come back for now," Misya said, recalling them. "So, I take it that completely catches us up?"

"It sure does," Kyra said. "We were all just lucky to make it here."

The Pokémon were conversing at this time. Ranma, who was bored, snuck up on Mary and gave her a hard shove into the fountain. Her shriek of terror caught their attention at once. Though Kyra moved to help her, Gaki was closer and quicker. He gripped onto the scruff of her neck with his teeth and swam towards the edge, where she was able to hurriedly climb out with his help. While Kyra tried to help her dry off, Ammy and Ilya chased Ranma, snarling constantly.

"I forgot to mention, Mary is deathly afraid of water," Kyra said. "So don't force her into it!"

"All right. I'll make sure Ranma behaves himself," Tenga assured. Ranma hurriedly hopped up him and onto his shoulder to get away from the angry duo.

It was then that they caught sight of the man passing by. He wore a tuxedo, had blonde hair that reached his shoulders, and brown eyes. In his hand was a TM. He was walking along in an arrogant manner, a confident little smirk on his face that told everyone he was in charge, when a white blur sped by him, snatching the TM from his grasp.

"What the-You! Stop, you little vermin!" The man went charging after him. The white blur went through the group, and they had to jump out of the way before the man could plow into them. "Get out of my way you idiots!"

They watched him go, and then Grisom said, "What a jackass."

"Yeah. Even though he was being stolen from, he didn't have to be so nasty," Kyra said.

Gaki pawed at Tenga's leg, and when he looked down, he saw Gaki had the TM in his mouth. Startled, he said, "Where did that come from?"

"I'd say he stole from the thief," Grisom said with a smirk. "Guess he knows the move Thief. I say we keep it. That's what he gets for knocking us aside and calling us idiots."

"You must have had good parents indeed," Tenga said, patting Gaki and taking the TM.

"Still, are you sure this is all right?" Misya said.

"Rich as he is, he can always buy another. You could tell from his outfit, expression, and the way he walked." Grisom looked at the TM. "TM71, Stone Edge. That's useful."

Misya took it and stored it away. "All right. What should we do now?"

"Maybe shop a bit? There's a good store in town," Grisom said.

"What store is that?" Kyra asked.

"The Honchkrow's Nest," Tenga said, much to Grisom's surprise. "I've heard about it before. They sell practical things, unlike most of this city."

"He's right," Grisom confirmed. "I know the way, so follow me."

As they walked through the city, they looked alternatively from the statues to the TV screens. Their attention was soon caught by something showing on the screens. It was a Pokémon battle between a Primeape and a pink creature with a white belly and a curl on its forehead. Its eyes were wide and innocent, and it was singing. The Primeape was asleep.

"What's the matter, you big oaf? Get up!" they heard Mor shout.

"Great, him," Kyra grumbled.

"He's fighting the gym leader, it looks like. Incredible," Grisom said, shaking his head.

"How'd he get this far?" Misya wondered.

"How _did_ you get this far?" they heard a woman say on the screen. She wore a purple dress with white frills and white high-heeled shoes. Her pink hair flowed to her waist, and her green eyes sparkled.

"Screw the rules, I have money!" Mor shouted. "Primeape, wake up!"

"Precious, Focus Punch!" The Wigglytuff began to charge a punch, and then slammed it in the Primeape's face. It flew into a wall with a screech and fainted.

"Fabulous! That means I'm the winner," the woman said haughtily. "And you would do well to get out of my gym. I have a contest to attend."

People began to clap wildly as Mor screamed insults before he was dragged away. The woman winked before the screen changed to something else.

"She looks obnoxious," Kyra said with a sigh.

"But powerful. And she's sure to have six Pokémon in all, with each as powerful, or moreso, as the one she showed," Tenga said. "I'm not sure we're ready for her yet."

"Me either," Kyra admitted. "Maybe we should wait until we're stronger."

"Yeah…" Misya agreed. "Let's worry about it later. We should find that shop now."

It was between two overly large buildings that the tiny shop was hidden. It said across the top 'Honchkrow's Nest' and showed a picture of a Honchkrow in a nest surrounded by gold and jewels. They went inside.

The shop was just as small as they expected, and dark. An old man with several scars stood behind the counter, his hair gray and his brown eyes watchful. On the counter was a white squirrel with a blue stripe down its tail, yellow cheeks, and buck teeth.

"So it was a Pachirisu that tried to steal that guy's TM," Grisom said. The Pachirisu chattered happily towards him.

"You saw Sam up to his tricks, eh?" the shopkeeper said. "Either way, welcome to the Honchkrow's Nest. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to see the selection of The Don's Roost," Grisom said.

Everyone gave him a surprised look, including the shopkeeper. "So you know about it, eh?"

"About what?" Misya asked.

"The Don's Roost is the underground name for this place," Grisom explained. "We can get better items through it. It's okay, Dan, they know about me."

"Very well then, Akuji. I'll sell you anything you and your companions need," the shopkeeper said.

"Why is this place called The Don's Roost?" Kyra inquired.

"It's named after a Murkrow who was called The Don," Dan said. "He was an infamous thief, stealing items that human thieves had never been able to touch. That continued until the day a man challenged The Don to a race. Whoever could steal a certain item from Diamond City first would be the winner. The victor would have to become the servant of the other. The human managed to win, and The Don has helped him ever since, though he still steals and visits many lady birds when he can."

Grisom laughed. "He's pretty much got it."

"That's interesting," Kyra said.

"Yep. He's one smart bird. So, you wanted to buy some things?" Dan asked.

"Right. I'd like some Max Potions, Max Ethers, and Full Restores," Grisom said. "Along with a few Poké Balls, and a TM57, Charge Beam."

"Can do," Dan said. "Anyone else need anything?"

"I could use a Dusk Ball," Tenga said.

"All right, we have some. What about you two?" He glanced at Kyra's Eevees. "Got any stones for them?"

"Well, a Water and Fire…" Kyra said, much to their surprise.

"Then how about a Thunder to finish off the collection?" He took out a stone with a thunderbolt through it.

"Sure," Kyra said.

"As for you, young lady, I have something that you might fancy." He brought out a blue, glass flute. "This is a Blue Flute. It can rouse Pokémon from their slumber. You may find it useful."

"I like to play flutes, so I'm fine with it," Misya said.

"Great! Then let's negotiate the prices…" Dan began.

Grisom and Tenga did most of the bartering. When done, they walked out with their new items in hand.

"We should go to the Pokémon Center. It's getting late," Misya said.

"Good point," Grisom replied. "Let's head there."

The Pokémon Center was close to the town square, so they went in and asked for their rooms. Even this location was bigger than usual, with many spare rooms despite the amount of people present. They went to their rooms and soon settled in.

To be continued…


	17. Contests

Wow, what a chore homework has been! I finally caught a break to update this, and hope I will be able to again in the near future.

**Chapter Seventeen: Contests**

_"There has been no change in condition, I am afraid."_

_"What… what did my daughter ever do to deserve this?"_

A warm sensation on her cheek woke Kyra up. She opened her eyes to see Ammy nuzzling against her.

"Good morning," Kyra said, petting her and the other Eevees at her side. The dream she had experienced had shaken her somewhat, but she was determined not to show it. She wanted today to be fun, as compensation for the problems they had faced beforehand, and no dream would change that.

When she was ready, she left with her Pokémon to find everyone else in the lobby, eating. Even Betta and the Feebas were able to, for there was a small pond for water Pokémon nearby.

"Good morning," Misya said, dropping some food in front of her Feebas. It chowed down happily.

"Same to you," Kyra replied. She set her own supply of food in front of the Eevees. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stop by a grocery store today. Most of my food was ruined by water."

"That happened to me too, so I for one agree," Grisom said. Misya nodded while Grisom added, "You must have had a bad time, bookstore."

"Not really. My backpack's waterproof," Tenga told him.

"Looks like you came prepared," Misya remarked.

"My parents think of lots of potential situations when getting me things," Tenga explained. "With the addition of Gaki, however, I too am running low on food. I'd say that'd be the best first place to stop."

Kyra watched as Mary left her food and approached Gaki slowly. She shyly started to say something, which caused Gaki to cock his head, bark, wag his tail, and then return to eating. Mary looked somewhat flushed as she made her way back to her bowl, which amused Kyra.

But as she watched the food vanish, a sudden thought came to Kyra, and she frowned. "We keep having to buy things, but we have no way of making money, do we?"

"Not necessarily," Grisom answered. "When it came to pre-gyms and such, there were few ways to get money, but these gyms will give a large cash prize when beaten. You can also win money from contests and from agreeing with trainers to battle over money."

"Contests? Didn't we hear something about those yesterday?" Misya asked.

"I think so. That woman on TV spoke of them," Kyra recalled. "What are they exactly?"

"They test an attribute of your Pokémon," Tenga says. "There are five different types: Beauty, Cool, Cute, Smart, and Tough. You go through a few tests with judges watching, and the person with the highest score at the end wins. I've never been in one, but I think those are the basics."

"Bookstore's pretty much right from what I know, though I haven't been in one either," Grisom said.

"Then why don't we try it? It could be fun," Kyra said.

Tenga glanced at the Pokémon, all who were listening intently. "They seem interested too. I don't see why not."

"Diamond City is home to the biggest contest hall on the continent, so it's certainly worth checking out," Grisom stated.

"Okay then! After we buy some food, let's go there!" Misya said.

For the sake of traveling around the busy city more easily, most of the Pokémon were recalled. Kyra left out Mary, Misya had Hama, and Tenga had Gaki, but that was it. Tenga regretted his decision when they arrived at the store. Gaki was thoroughly excited by it, racing around and nearly knocking over a shelf in the process. He also leapt towards a bag of Pokémon food and accidentally tore it open, scattering it across the aisle. Tenga apologized to the nearby shop employee many times and paid for it while Gaki happily ate what was on the floor. It did not help matters when Yuki popped out of her Poké Ball and danced around until Misya was finally able to call her back. Mary looked rather amused by Gaki's antics, but behaved herself, as did Hama. They were soon able to get out with what they needed, avoiding any more mishaps.

"Do that again and I'm never letting you into another store," Tenga told Gaki, who grinned sheepishly.

"It's interesting that they even let Pokémon into stores now. I hear they didn't at one point," Grisom said. "Trust for them has gone higher and higher."

"People didn't trust Pokémon once?" Kyra asked.

"According to legend, humans used to even kill Pokémon," Tenga said grimly. "But peace was eventually formed between them, and they started to work alongside one another. That bond continued to grow as time went on, until we became what you see today. It's a pity some people are exceptions though, like those Casses we saw."

"Yeah…" Thinking of the cruelty they had shown, Kyra could not comprehend why they would behave that way. She tried to push the thought out of her head as Misya spoke.

"Not to change the subject, but before we get there, we should pick up a few things for our Pokémon to get them ready. Like items that can make them look better. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," Kyra said. "I know a brush would probably help mine."

"Right, things like that," Misya agreed. "Let's keep an eye out for a store that would sell those kinds of things."

They happened to find such a store on the way there. Kyra bought a brush, and Misya picked up a polish for Pokémon with scales, but Grisom and Tenga did not get anything. After that, they proceeded to the contest hall.

The building they came to left no doubt that it was their destination. White and towering, it had many pillars holding up the archway to it. Ribbons of various colors were attached to the archways, as if signifying something important was happening. They all stopped a moment to stare at it.

"That's incredible!" Kyra said. "I've never seen such a big building!"

"It is pretty impressive," Misya agreed.

"It's to be expected from the home of Pokémon contests," Tenga remarked. "Let's go in."

Inside, the floors were marble, and two fine desks were on opposite ends of a huge doorway. The desk to the right was unoccupied, but the one to the left had a man talking to the secretary. He wore a brown suit with a dark purple tie. His slightly curly hair was light purple, and glasses covered his blue eyes. Beside him was a white Pokémon that stood about four feet tall. It had black ears that flopped to the sides of its head and a white cap-like object on top of its head with a horn at the center. Its tail, which it carried in one paw, was long and had a tip similar to a paintbrush.

"Yes, it's already started," the secretary was saying to the man.

"Oh dear, I'm late again." The man adjusted his glasses and sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped. We'll go there straight away." He turned and caught sight of the group. "Well now, what do we have here? More spectators?"

"Spectators for what?" Misya asked.

"A contest of the highest level is occurring right now," the secretary explained. "It's certainly worth checking out! I'd advise that you go if you're interested in contests."

"That's not a bad idea," Tenga said. "It would give us an idea of what contests are like."

"Yeah, let's check it out," Kyra said. "Where is it?"

"I'll show you the way, if you want," the man offered.

"Thanks, we'd appreciate it," Misya replied.

As the man led them through a series of hallways, they noticed several pictures on the walls. When Kyra asked what they were, the man explained that they were previous winners of high-ranking contests. Tenga stopped in front of one that showed a huge brawl in it, including several tough-looking Pokémon. He started to say something, but shook his head and moved on.

"So who are you?" Grisom inquired to the man.

"My name's Lewis, and this is Arthur," he said, gesturing to his Pokémon.

"A Smeargle?" Tenga guessed.

"That's right." Arthur bowed to them as Lewis said that.

"Do you often watch contests?" Kyra said.

"The higher-ranked ones, yes," Lewis answered. "Believe it or not, I'm one of the top two participants in the Smart contests."

"Wow," Misya said. "That's pretty neat! Who's the other one?"

"A woman that I constantly trade places with when it comes to being the leader," Lewis said with a laugh. He indicated to Tenga. "She actually looks a bit like you."

"Really?" Tenga looked pretty unsurprised to hear this.

Before anyone could inquire as to his neutral response, they emerged into a gigantic room. Hundreds of seats lined the room, and below was a grand stage. Currently on it was a girl in a yellow dress. A huge hamster wheel was beside her, and next to that was a small, yellow Pokémon. Its tail looked like a lightning bolt, and its ears were thin and stood straight up. It had two pink cheeks and black eyes.

As Lewis led them to six empty seats (one was for Arthur), and they sat down in time to hear an announcer say, "Here we have Brittney and her Pikachu, Spark!"

Applause greeted the pair. Smiling, the trainer said something to Spark, in which she leapt on the wheel and began to run. The wheel spun around and around, barely able to be seen.

"Isn't that one fast Pikachu!" the announcer cried. "And getting faster by the minute! Oh my, is that Agility? Can it keep its balance like this?"

Apparently she could not, for a moment after she had vanished from being so fast, she was flung out of the wheel at a very high speed. She crashed into the stage a distance away, and Brittney ran over to her worriedly. Spark soon managed to stand up, but with swirled eyes and dizzy steps.

"Now that's what I'd call cute!" a woman's voice said through a microphone. "Just look at its confusion and the bold nature it had to attempt such a move! Quite admirable!"

"This is a waste of time," a male voice drawled. "That thing's as weak as the others."

"Of course you would think that, mister tough guy," the woman retorted. "This is a cute contest, so grade it fairly."

"Are those judges?" Misya asked Lewis.

"Yes. There are five of them, one that specializes in each contest," Lewis said. "Though some are not as interested in certain contests as others, the grades given are usually fair."

"Now we'll move on to Spark's moves! Let's see how cute this Pikachu can be!" the announcer said.

The Pikachu started by seeming to scheme something. One could practically see the thought bubble over her head. "It's starting with Nasty Plot! Whatever the next move will be, it should blow us away!"

Indeed it did, for Spark put her paws to her lips and then blew a kiss towards the audience with a most charming posture. Audience members squealed in delight as the announcer said, "Sweet Kiss! That's a sure-fire way to win admirers!"

"How many moves are you allowed to use?" Kyra said.

"As many as you want. It's wise to keep it to a low total though, or else the audience will get bored," Lewis explained.

By this time, Spark was done performing, and five scores had been listed off. The announcer said, "That averages out to a solid eight point four! Good work you two! Everyone give them a round of applause!"

The pair bowed before exiting the stage. The announcer continued, "Our final contestants will now take the stage. The current champion of the Cute contests, Gloria, and her Wigglytuff, Precious!"

Wild clapping and cheering greeted the woman and her Wigglytuff, which wore a necklace of flowers and had a big, pink bow on her head. She waved in response with an arrogant smile.

"That's the woman we saw on TV last night!" Kyra exclaimed.

"She certainly gets a lot of time on it," Lewis said, shaking his head. "Her life is revolved around being famous. At least she cares about her Pokémon. I think she originally wanted fame for their sake, though that view is twisted by now."

"-and appearance is now covered!" the announcer said. "Let's see what act Precious has to give us!"

Gloria spoke to Precious, and she responded by curling into a ball. The announcer commented by saying, "Precious begins with a Defense Curl! A cute tactic, to be sure, but what will she do with it?"

She got her answer when Precious began to roll forward. She sped up and started to bounce off the walls surrounding the stage. Soon she looked like a pink pinball that left trails of flower petals from her necklace wherever she went. She finally ended in the center of the stage and uncurled. Like Spark before her, she was clearly woozy and staggered around before falling into a sitting position and blinking in an adorable fashion.

"Odd, the things people find cute," Grisom said as applause broke out.

"I think it's cute," Kyra said defensively. Misya looked a bit sheepish.

Precious then began to perform her moves for the judges. Her first one was to use Charm, which instantly caused most to love her. Then she used Sing. The sweet song captured their attention, their only thoughts being on how beautiful it was. At the end, she blew them a Sweet Kiss, causing the audience to go crazy.

"What a perfect finish!" the announcer cried. "Let's hear the scores!"

"That was incredible," Kyra said, too spaced out to pay attention to the judges.

"There's a reason Gloria always wins," Lewis said mildly, cleaning his glasses. He was the only one who did not seem impressed.

"Used to it by now?" Grisom said. He had been a bit stunned at first, but quickly got over it.

"Yes. It was interesting the first time, but got stale afterwards. That is why I prefer the Smart contests; there are always new tricks to try in it," Lewis said.

The announcer's raised voice cut them off. "That averages to nine point three! Congratulations, Gloria and Precious! You are the winners of this Cute contest!"

"Fabulous!" Gloria said as the crowd cheered.

"I think we've seen enough," Lewis said, rising. The others followed him as he walked out of the area.

When they entered the hallway, they saw someone leaning against the wall. He was a well-muscled man who wore all black, including a leather vest, sleeveless shirt, pants with various zippers, and boots. Each of his arms had a tattoo, one which looked like a snake coiling around it and the other appearing to be a jellyfish. He had a blue mohawk and wore sunglasses, along with a few silver necklaces and earrings. Around his neck, a huge snake was draped. It looked incredibly heavy and long, but the man seemed to have no problem with having him around his neck. It had yellow and purple patterns over its black skin, two sharp red fangs, and a red, bladed tail. When it saw them, it stuck out its red, forked tongue.

"You actually went to see the contest? You know as well as I do how it always ends," the man said.

"It is common courtesy, nothing more," Lewis said. "Everyone, let me introduce you to Devin. He is the current leader in the Cool contests."

"That's right!" he said with a large grin. "And this is Asmodeus, my star Pokémon."

"You must be really strong, being able to carry a Seviper like that," Tenga remarked.

Devin laughed loudly at that. "Oh, yes, you can bet I am! I work out with my Pokémon every day, something you scrawny kids could never do! It makes us cooler than ever! I take it you're here to enter the contests? If any of you try entering the Cool contest, take it from me, you won't be winning for many years! Good luck, not like it'll help you!" Devin strolled away before they could respond.

"Talk about confident," Grisom said. "Is he as good as he claims?"

"Believe it or not, he is," Lewis stated. He drew back his sleeve to look at a wristwatch and blinked in surprise. "Oops, I've spent too much time here. I have an appointment to keep. Sorry to run, but I'll wish you luck in your contests as well, if you're going to participate."

"We are," Kyra said. "Thanks for escorting us there."

"Anytime." Lewis then walked off, leaving the group standing in the hallway.

To be continued…


	18. Practice Rounds

I love weekends.

**Chapter Eighteen: Practice Rounds**

Once Lewis had left, the group headed for the lobby. They went to the woman behind the right desk, where Tenga asked, "We were interested in entering a contest for the first time. Could you help us with doing that?"

"Certainly! You say this is your first contest?" the woman inquired.

"For all of us," Misya said with a nod.

"Then I suggest entering a practice round," the woman said. "It walks you through the contest procedure, and if you win, you get a nice item as a reward. The best part though is getting a grade that tells how well you would do in a real contest. By the time you've gone through it, you'll be ready to enter one, if you get a good enough score."

"That sounds like a good idea," Kyra agreed. "Are all of you up for it?"

"I think it'll be fun," Misya said.

"Why not? Let's go for it," Grisom replied.

"Seems we're all in agreement," Tenga said.

"Then I need to know what contest you want to enter and with which Pokémon," the woman stated. "I will give you directions of where to go after that."

Grisom smiled. "I already know what I'll be entering; the Tough contest, with a Skorupi."

The woman typed in the entry. "How about the rest of you?"

Misya flushed slightly as she said, "Beauty, with a Feebas."

Blinking, the woman did not question her choice. While she entered that into her computer, Tenga reached to his waist and brought out his other three Poké Balls. Neji, Hinata, and Ranma appeared, standing next to Gaki. Tenga said, "I was hoping to enter a contest, but it is up to all of you which we enter and which of you participates. Got any preference?"

The Pokémon grouped together and conversed with each other before Hinata stepped forward and gestured to herself. She then pointed to one of the five signs above the archway, which said, _Cute_.

"A Ralts in the Cute contest then," Tenga directed to the woman, who nodded. He recalled the rest of his Pokémon.

Kyra looked unsure as well, so she brought out Ammy, Tsuku, and Ilya. "Do any of you want to enter the contests?"

Tsuku turned up his nose, and Mary shook her head several times. Ammy and Ilya, on the other hand, talked with each other for a minute before Ilya pointed her tail towards the Cute sign.

"Oh… I guess my Eevee will enter the Cute contest too," Kyra said, bringing back her other Eevees.

"The Cute contest will be taking place in a few minutes," the woman said. "The Beauty contest will be after that, and then the Tough."

"We're up first then," Tenga said to Kyra. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Same to you," Kyra answered.

The woman gave them directions to the practice hall, and they quickly found their way there, Kyra brushing Ilya on the way there. The room was far smaller than the highest ranked area. It had a decently-sized stage and a few rows of chairs for spectators. On the stage was a woman with a pink shirt, purple skirt, short blue hair, and brown eyes. She carried a microphone and was speaking to a trainer who had a purple rat with huge front teeth in her arms. A boy with a brown weasel that had two tails and a yellow ring around its neck stood on the stage too.

"A Rattata and Buizel," Tenga said to answer Kyra and Misya's unasked questions. "Shall we join them?"

"Grisom and I will watch from over there," Misya assured, indicating to the chairs. "We'll cheer you on!"

"You will at least," Grisom said, shrugging.

Misya scowled at him. "Be nice." She smiled at Kyra and Tenga. "I'm sure you'll both do great."

"Thanks," Kyra said. Tenga nodded, and the two of them started towards the stage with Ilya and Hinata. Misya, Hama, and Grisom went to the chairs and sat down.

Kyra and Tenga were about to go up the stairs for the stage when a sudden black blur sped by them, knocking over Tenga. The Pokémon stopped at the top, and they could see it was a black dog with a skull on its head and ribs on its back. Its tongue flopped out and it panted happily at them.

"Rufus! You should know better than that!" a girl said, following him up. She had on a green dress, with long brown hair and brown eyes. She patted the Pokémon before saying to Tenga, "Sorry. He gets so over-excited."

As she said that, a Poké Ball that had been knocked loose from Tenga opened, and Gaki emerged. He leapt over to Rufus and barked. The two began to chase each other, and Tenga facepalmed at the sight. "Now there's two of them."

"What is that?" Kyra asked.

"He's a Houndour. This is our first contest, so I'm hoping we'll do well," the girl said. "My name is Helen. How about you?"

"I'm Kyra, and he's Tenga," Kyra answered. Ilya went towards Rufus and sniffed at him while he wagged his short tail as fast as possible.

"Is this all of the contestants?" the woman said through the microphone. "If so, please come to the center of the stage. We are ready to begin."

"Oops, we'd better get ready." Helen rushed to the indicated area, while Kyra and Tenga followed. Gaki sat on the side to watch the show.

When all five of the trainers were in the center, the woman said, "Participants of the Cute contest, there are two stages to go through. The first is a performance that the Pokémon gives. In a real contest, you often have to think of one yourself, but for this, a prompt will be given. After that, a series of moves is used to display how cute the Pokémon is. Understood?"

When they all nodded, she went out of sight and shortly returned with an armful of balls. She placed three in front of each Pokémon. "You are to use these to put on a performance. Remember, the goal is to look cute, so do whatever you have to for that purpose!" She stepped out of the way. "We'll start with the Rattata. Please begin."

The trainer muttered something to her Rattata, and it responded by using its tail to throw each of the three balls in the air. It tried to juggle them using its tail, but only managed to keep the act up for three seconds before the balls hit it in the head. It crashed to the ground with a squeal.

"You have to keep in mind that failing an act isn't necessarily bad," the announcer said as the saddened trainer checked her Rattata. "Sometimes a failure can make a Pokémon look even cuter. That certainly doesn't mean that you should make a habit out of it though. Okay, the Buizel is up next."

Like the Rattata, it tried to use its tails to juggle, and actually was somewhat successful. Unfortunately for it, one of its hits was so strong that it caused the balls to bounce off each other, hitting the previous trainer and her Rattata. The boy and his Buizel had to run for cover as the enraged Rattata chased after them, teeth bared.

"Houndour is next," the announcer said. Helen responded by tossing the balls to Rufus. He grabbed the first one in his teeth, and then tossed it up as another came towards him, and continued this until all three were changing places in the air. This required much repositioning to continue catching the balls though, and in the process, Rufus danced off the stage, crashing into a bunch of props. Helen slapped her forehead as Rufus poked his head out of the pile, tongue out. Gaki rushed over and jumped in as well, much to Tenga's exasperation.

"I don't know how I can handle this," Tenga remarked, stepping forward as he and Hinata were called. Tenga did not even have to tell her what to do; she used her psychic powers to lift the balls and began weaving them in many patterns throughout the air. At first it was a simple juggling act, which changed to a ring that spun around her, and then a wave pattern in front of her. She ended by making them land gently in a circle that surrounded her, to the applause of everyone in the audience.

"That's a tough act to follow up! Can the Eevee do it?" the announcer said.

Ilya was up to the challenge, for she took each ball in her mouth and tossed them into the air. Using her tail and head in conjunction, she managed to keep them all in the air for a remarkable amount of time, despite what looked like many close calls. She ended by having one land on her tail, one on her head, and one in her mouth. She put them down and did a bow as the audience clapped.

"Very good, all of you," the announcer said. "The second part is the moves. Rattata, please begin by showing us how cute you can be with your attacks."

"Okay… um… Rattata, Tackle!" the girl said. The Rattata did so, barreling forward at a high speed and falling off the stage in the process. Its trainer hurriedly ran after it.

"Tackle is more of a Tough move, so that isn't a good idea," the announcer told her as she returned. "Each move has a classification as one of the five contest moves. A better choice would have been, for instance, Tail Whip. It was a good first try, and I give you the score of 4.6 overall. Okay, Buizel is next!"

"Buizel, Water Sport!" the trainer ordered. The Buizel held up its head and sprayed the water into the air. But the attack was so large in area that it proceeded to soak everyone else on stage, including the announcer.

Hurriedly trying to dry her microphone, she said, "While that was a good choice of an attack, your Buizel needs to learn self-control. 6.5 for Buizel. Houndour, you're up!"

"Um… oh no… does Rufus have any Cute moves?" Helen tapped her foot against the stage nervously. "I don't think he does… um… use Leer!"

Rufus glared ahead, but with his tail wagging rapidly, he hardly looked threatening. Gaki ran up to him, and with his tail moving as well, stared back at him. The two continued their staring contest until Helen walked up to Rufus and dragged him away. "We lost…"

"It was a good try, but Houndour is not a very good participant for a Cute contest, at least move-wise," the announcer said. "4.8 for a good first performance. Ralts, please show us your move."

Hinata responded by beginning to chant in her soft voice. Symbols appeared around her, and a glow surrounded her, leaving her shining.

"Lucky Chant! What an advanced move for a Ralts of this level!" the announcer exclaimed. "Excellent work! I rate that performance an 8.8. Finally, we have the Eevee! Let's see what it can do!"

Kyra had been pondering what move to use, and an idea had come to her. "Ilya, Attract!"

She did so at once, twisting her body seductively with her eyes closed. The Rattata, Buizel, and Houndour all stared with their mouths open, and even the announcer was surprised.

"Well, that was certainly a well-done Attract, so well-done that it bewitched all of the male Pokémon here! Very close to the Ralts in terms of score, but I think it just barely has the edge, so I rank it an 8.9! You have won the practice round!"

"Good job Ilya!" Kyra said, picking her up. Ilya smiled widely at the praise while the Rattata and Buizel were dragged away by their trainers. Gaki bonked Rufus over the head to snap him out of his state of attraction.

"You did well, Hinata," Tenga said to her. Hinata appeared to hold no grudge for losing, looking happy at the high score she had gotten.

"For winning, you can have this, a Luxury Ball," the announcer said, handing it to Kyra. "It'll make Pokémon happier to be inside it. And with that, the Cute contest is over! We'll go on to the Beauty in just a moment!"

When Kyra and Tenga returned to Grisom and Misya, Misya said, "I was impressed! That was really good for a first time!"

"Pretty nice, kiddo, bookstore," Grisom admitted.

"Thanks, guys. I hope you two do just as well," Kyra said.

"Speaking of that, I need to prepare." Misya sat back down and called out her Feebas. She then began to apply the polish she had bought, so it started to shine.

"Why did you want to enter your Feebas into a Beauty contest?" Kyra asked.

"Tenga was right. I need to work on its weaknesses," Misya said. "I thought this would be a good start."

"Interesting idea," Grisom said.

While they waited, Helen approached them, along with Rufus. Gaki loped over to him and began to chase him around while she said, "That was awesome to watch. Wish I could have done as well."

"Why did you want to be in a Cute contest?" Tenga inquired. "Like she said, Houndour isn't the best choice for that."

"My mentor, Gloria, always enters the Cute contests, so I wanted to be in them too," Helen explained.

"Your mentor? So you're the trainer of her gym?" Misya assumed.

Helen nodded. "That's right. We're still training, but we hope to succeed Gloria one day."

"That's a pretty good goal." Misya looked over at the stage. "Oh, it's nearly time to begin! I'd better get over there!" She hurried to it.

Other than Misya, there were three girls, each with a cat Pokémon. One was a Glameow, while another had pink fur, closed eyes, and a tail that looked somewhat like a hand. The final one was a white cat with brown fur on the end of its tail, black ears, and a gold coin in the middle of its head. The final contestant, a boy, had a brown starfish with a red, round jewel in the center of its body.

"Welcome to the Beauty contest," the announcer said. "There are two parts to this contest. One is to go down a staircase-" She pointed to it. "-as gracefully as you can. You can do this in any way that you want. For instance, when reaching the bottom, sometimes Pokémon choose to dance. Others make their most elegant pose. Be creative. The other part is to use attacks that are associated with beauty. Now that the rules are explained, we will begin with that girl and her… Feebas?"

Misya stared at the staircase, but shook her head and climbed it to put the Feebas at the top. "Okay Feebas, do your best!"

The Feebas responded by flopping down each stair. It was an embarrassing sight to behold, the feeble fish barely able to get down the steps. Misya blushed bright red the entire way, until it at last hit the ground and continued to writhe.

"Um… that was… …pretty horrible, I'm afraid to say," the announcer told her. "You might want to try another Pokémon, or another competition altogether."

Misya nodded briefly as she picked up the Feebas, and then ran out of the room, Hama worriedly following her. Seeing her leave, Kyra got up as well, Ilya on her shoulder. "You two stay here. I'll check on her."

"Sure. I have to get Sasori ready anyway," Grisom said.

When Kyra went outside, she saw Misya stroking her Feebas' head with a depressed expression. Kyra frowned slightly and said, "Misya, are you going to be okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'll be fine. I'm just sorry for this Feebas," Misya explained. "I want to help it become beautiful, but I see no way to do it."

"If you want, perhaps I could be of assistance."

They turned to see a woman in a red suit with gold buttons. She had long, black hair and brown eyes. In her hands was a pink case.

"You have an idea?" Misya asked hopefully.

"Yes. Though the Pokémon Feebas is rare, they have been heard of in contests before," the woman said. "I know this, because I have judged them before. I am the judge of the Beauty contest."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you," Misya said abruptly. "Sorry for forgetting my manners."

"It's no trouble at all." The woman handed her the case. "This is a Poffin case. Have you ever heard of Poffins?"

"No," Misya said, with Kyra shaking her head.

"They are Pokémon food that, depending on the way they are cooked, helps a Pokémon's traits," the woman stated. "You make them from berries, and almost every town has a location where you can cook them. Have your Feebas eat enough Poffins that increase Beauty and it'll be enchanting in no time."

"Wow! That's wonderful, thank you!" Misya exclaimed.

"Can you cook?" Kyra said in surprise.

"Yep!" Misya assured. "I just haven't had the chance to yet, since we always eat premade things."

"I will wish you luck for helping your Feebas then. Sorry, but I must get back to work," the woman said.

"That's fine. I really appreciate the help," Misya replied.

"I always enjoy doing what I can for contest participants." The woman walked away without a backward look.

"Hm, I wonder what it looks like inside." Misya opened the case, and smiled. "Hey, this must be a Poffin! And it's in the section marked for Beauty!" She took it out and offered it to the Feebas, who happily gobbled it up.

"We should try making Poffins too," Kyra said. "They sound useful." Ilya nodded in agreement.

"Let's try gathering berries as we travel, then we can try!" Misya suggested.

Once the Feebas was done eating, Misya recalled it to her Poké Ball. They went back into the contest hall to see the announcer handing the girl with the pink cat a Poké Ball with a blue pattern. "Congratulations, you have won this Net Ball! Now we'll move on to the Tough contest."

"That's my cue," Grisom said as they approached him.

"Good luck," Misya said, with Kyra and Tenga echoing her.

"Thanks. See you soon." He walked towards the stage, Sasori trailing behind him.

"You doing all right, Misya?" Tenga asked. Hinata made a concerned noise.

"Yes, thank you. A woman we met gave us a Poffin case, so I think I can help my Feebas now," Misya told him.

"Ah, Poffins. Never made any myself, but I have heard of them." Tenga turned his attention to the stage as the contestants filed out.

Only one was a girl, and she had a grey creature with ridges on its rock body. Kyra recognized it as a Rhyhorn, having seen one in the books she had read. The other three were boys. One had a brown rock with two arms extending from it, which Tenga identified as a Geodude. Another was a blue arm with white claws and a red eye; Tenga called that a Beldum. The final one was a Machop.

"Here we have the Tough contest," the announcer began. "This contest often has Rock, Ground, Steel, and Fighting types, which are therefore graded more harshly. Originality is encouraged, but there is nothing wrong with having one of those four types. We will be having two parts in this. One is a task that the Pokémon must complete. Each contest is different in this aspect. In this case, it will be weight lifting. After that, we will have a display of moves. Let's begin with the Geodude."

Two small weights, two medium weights, and two large ones were placed in front of the Geodude. It tried to pick up the large ones, but could not even get them off the ground. It resorted to taking the two medium ones and hauling them into the air. Once, twice, thrice, then it dropped them, panting.

"Your Geodude needs a good workout. Okay, the Rhyhorn now," the announcer said.

The Rhyhorn dug its horn under a large weight and attempted to lift it. After much strain, it came off the ground, and managed to keep it held up for roughly two seconds before dropping it.

"Not bad at all. Beldum now."

The Beldum went for the large weight and strained to pull it up. It managed to and kept it held up for a little longer than the Rhyhorn.

"Okay, but Beldum does have quite a big advantage due to being an arm," the announcer said doubtfully. "Machop, please take your turn."

The Machop was the most successful, for it managed to lift both large weights and move them up and down two times before putting them down. The announcer nodded, clearly pleased. "Very good. Finally, the Skorupi."

Grisom murmured to Sasori, who clacked his pinchers in response. He picked up the two medium weights with his pinchers, and then, to the surprise of everyone, curled his tail around a large weight and slowly pulled it up. He continued to hold the large weight as he moved the medium ones up and down. After five rounds, he set them all down, exhausted but looking satisfied.

"That was incredible! A Skorupi's tail is usually not nearly that strong," the announcer exclaimed. "Wonderful work! Now, each of you needs to display a move to show your toughness. We'll go in the same order as before!"

The Geodude went first with using Rock Polish to get a nice sheen. Next was the Rhyhorn, who gave a Tackle attack. The Beldum used Take Down, which Tenga explained was its only move, so the trainer had chosen the right contest to enter. The Machop went with Low Kick, which gave it the highest score as of yet, at an impressive 7.0.

"Our turn, huh? Sasori, Bite onto the weight!" Sasori did so onto a large one, and to their awe, Grisom lifted it with Sasori still attached. He clung on, not letting go, until Grisom finally had to set the heavy weight down.

"Superb! A remarkable way to show off a Pokémon's moves! I give your final score an 8.6, making you the winner!" She brought out a Dusk Ball to hand him. "There is your prize. Thank you for participating, and please try a future round."

"Sure. Sasori, return!" Grisom recalled his Skorupi and left the stage.

The others were waiting there for him. "Nice one, Grisom!" Kyra said.

"I knew Sasori would be a good one to catch," Grisom stated.

Tenga looked at Helen. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Head back to the gym, I guess. Are any of you attempting the gym challenge?" Helen asked.

"We're each earning some," Misya explained. "We have all four pre-gym badges."

"Pre-gyms are a lot easier than the real gyms," Helen said with a frown. "If you want, you can battle me. Win and you can try facing Gloria, though that certainly doesn't mean you'll beat her."

"I'm up for the challenge!" Misya announced.

"Misya? It's not like you to take initiative when it comes to battling," Kyra pointed out.

"I want to see just how tough these gyms are," Misya explained. "So let me face her please."

"Sure," Grisom said. "Let's take it outside."

Helen whistled, and Rufus bounded to her side, Gaki wagging his tail as he followed. Tenga shook his head with a small smile as he and the group went outside.

Once they were in front of the building, Helen said, "I will face you with Rufus. You can use as many Pokémon as you want, but Rufus is my only one. Ready?"

"I sure am! Leena, I choose you!" Misya tossed her Poké Ball, and Leena emerged.

"That was a bad choice, as you'll soon see! Rufus, Ember!" The Houndour, once so playful, now looked completely serious as he reared back his head and spat several flames at Leena. She cried out as they seared through her.

"Oh no, I had no idea he was a Fire type!" Misya exclaimed. "Leena, try to fight back with Acid!"

Leena hurled the acid at Rufus, who got slapped in the face with it. He howled in agony, but threw another Ember Leena's way. She wailed and went down, sobbing in pain as her leaves burned.

"Leena, return! You've done more than enough!" Once Misya had recalled her, she said, "Yuki's an Ice type, so she won't have any better luck. That means it's your turn, Hama!" Hama floated over and glared at Rufus.

"Rufus, show her how we deal with Ghosts! Bite!" At the command, Rufus latched onto Hama, who squealed at the strike.

"Dark too? I should have guessed!" Misya said worriedly. "Hama, use Astonish!"

Rufus staggered back from the sudden blow, appearing stunned. Hama took the opportunity to hit him with another, but he appeared barely weakened. With another Bite, Hama started to fall.

"Hama, try one more move! Confuse Ray!" Misya called. Hama responded by hitting Rufus with a ray of light just as she was bitten. Rufus yelped and started to run around, bashing his head against the ground, while Hama fell into a faint.

"Good work, Hama! Return!" Misya brought her back and threw another Poké Ball. "Yuki, finish him off!"

As usual, Yuki emerged while dancing. When she saw Rufus hitting the ground though, she went over and used Bite on him. He leapt up, yelping again, and then spat an Ember in her direction. She only was able to latch on one more time before another Ember claimed her.

"Yuki, return!" Misya stared hopelessly at the severely weakened Houndour. "I'm out of Pokémon…"

"No you aren't!" Kyra said. "You still have one more!"

Misya stared at her, and then winced. "What? You can't mean Feebas! But I guess it's my only choice. I have to try!" She released Feebas, who began to flop on the ground.

"What kind of a joke is this?" Helen said in disbelief. "Rufus, give it a Bite!"

Rufus limped over and lowered his muzzle, but before he could use his attack, the Feebas lunged up and smashed its head into him. Rufus howled and toppled to the ground, out of commission.

"Rufus! But how?" Helen cried, kneeling beside her fallen Pokémon.

"Now that was Deus Ex Machina," Grisom commented.

"More like Deus Ex Pisces," Tenga joked, causing Kyra to groan.

"Well, you beat me," Helen said as she recalled Rufus. "So will you be challenging Gloria?"

Misya shook her head. "No way. If I could barely beat you, I'm nowhere near ready."

"Nor are any of us," Kyra said. "We should keep traveling, and come back later to face her."

"I think that's a wise choice," Helen replied. "When you come back, I'd be glad to bring you to her. So you guys keep on going, and I'll see you again when you return."

"Sure thing. Bye for now," Grisom said.

Helen smiled at them, and then walked away, leaving them to ponder on what to do next.

To be continued…


	19. The Morning Sun

To better characterize the Pokémon, there will occasionally be scenes where they talk to each other. Keep in mind that they are still speaking in their own language though; they did not suddenly switch to a human language.

**Chapter Nineteen: The Morning Sun**

"I hope you all don't mind that I said we wouldn't fight Gloria yet," Misya said as they walked to the Pokémon Center.

"Not at all. We definitely aren't ready," Kyra answered.

"Agreed. Depending on the route we take, we should be able to swing by here and beat her later," Grisom stated. "Preferably after getting some more Pokémon."

"You'll be able to handle her then, Misya," Tenga said. They had reached the Pokémon Center by then, and Tenga added, "You should all go ahead and get Misya's Pokémon healed. I have something to do while you are."

"Sure," Misya said. They entered while Tenga walked off, Gaki trailing at his heels.

It took a decent amount of time for Misya's Pokémon to be healed due to their bad condition. Eventually the Nurse Joy returned though, and handed her the three Poké Balls. "They're all fine now."

"Thank you." Misya released Hama, who nudged her fondly with her head. Misya laughed at her antics. "Seems you're back to normal."

"Looks like I came right on time," Tenga remarked as he entered. When they looked over, they saw he had new shoes that were dark blue with yellow trim.

"Why did you get those?" Misya asked.

"For Gaki," Tenga said.

"Oh, right, you buy clothes based on your Pokémon," Kyra recalled. "They look nice on you."

"I'll never figure you out, bookstore." Grisom stood up. "Let's get moving. We still have most of the day ahead of us to travel on."

They exited the building, and Kyra asked, "Where are we going now?"

"We'll go through Dragon's Home," Grisom said. "Once we're through there, we'll be in Quartz Town. It's a pretty old town, with knowledgeable residents, so we may be able to learn something there."

"It also has a gym, which may be more suitable to start with than Gloria's," Tenga added. "I doubt it, due to its location, but the possibility is there."

"Sounds good to me," Kyra said. "Can we reach there today?"

"I don't think so, but we'll be close," Tenga answered.

"We may as well get started," Misya suggested.

They were near the edge of town, so exiting it took little time. Outside of it, they all released their Pokémon besides the Feebas and Betta. They showed that they appreciated the gesture by spending the time playing. Occasionally the group saw wild Pokémon, but they all hurried away on sight. The trainers were secretly glad about that, for it made the traveling pleasant.

"It's kind of strange, seeing them get to do this," Grisom commented as he watched Wukong ride on Aves' back. "I never really had time to just let my Pokémon have some fun."

"I wouldn't know, since I never had any Pokémon," Misya said with Yuki jumping around her. "Same with you, right Kyra?"

"Yes, I don't remember having any. I bet Neji and Hinata had a lot of time to play though," Kyra assumed.

"You're correct. Neji battled occasionally, but Hinata never did unless she had to," Tenga explained. Hinata nodded from his arms.

Kyra looked back at the Pokémon, and was surprised to see Mary following Gaki timidly. She occasionally made a soft inquiry, which Gaki barked a happy answer to.

"Hey Tenga, Mary's been obsessed with Gaki ever since he helped her out of that fountain," Kyra said. "Do you think she's falling in love with him?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." Tenga sighed. "I doubt Gaki will notice though."

"Poor Mary," Kyra said, shaking her head.

The small chances of that happening did not stop Mary from acting like Gaki's shadow though, all the way until they set up camp for the night. Misya went to explore the area around them for supplies, and came back with a bagful of blue, round berries. "I found these while looking around. What are they?"

"Oran berries. They're pretty common, but they help heal Pokémon," Tenga said. "I'd suggest keeping them."

"Practically any berry you find will be useful in some way," Grisom added. "If nothing else, the Pokémon like eating them."

Once everyone was done eating, they retired for the night, deciding to keep watch in a different order this time. Misya volunteered to go first, then Tenga, then Grisom, and Kyra last.

…

_Sobbing… continuous sobbing…_

Kyra woke up at a constant nudging. She sat up to see Ammy watching her and whining.

"What's wrong, Ammy?" That was when Kyra realized her cheeks were wet. She wiped her face and blinked a few times. "Was I crying in my sleep? That's odd. I didn't even have a dream, really."

She looked up to see that daylight was close to approaching. Kyra rose and walked over to Grisom, who was sitting nearby. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I wasn't tired. But if you're willing to take over now, feel free. Night, kiddo." Grisom laid down beside his sleeping Pokémon in an instant.

"Somehow, I just don't think he was that awake," Kyra muttered. She took his place though, and invited Ammy into her lap.

Time passed, and the only sounds were the wind and distant Pokémon cries. Kyra tried her best to stay awake, but the job was so boring that she kept nearly falling asleep. Trying to think of something to keep her distracted, she reached into her pack and brought out the brush. "Ammy, want me to brush you?"

Ammy wagged her tail in response, and squeaked in pleasure as Kyra began to carefully brush her. She liked it so much that she began to wiggle in her grasp.

"Hey, take it easy. I might scratch you if you keep doing that," Kyra said with a soft laugh. She placed the brush on her head and drew it down her back in a gentle stroke.

At this time, the sun was just beginning to come over the horizon. As it did, Ammy gave a short, happy bark, and suddenly began to glow pure white.

"W-what's going on?" Kyra stammered, dropping the brush.

Ammy continued to grow in size until she was roughly three feet tall and much heavier. Then the light faded, revealing a light purple creature similar to a dog in size, but cat in appearance. Her ears were triangular and perked, with her tail long and thin, forked at the tip into two sections. She also had whiskers, and a red, circular jewel in the middle of her forehead.

"A-Ammy? Is that you?" Kyra said in awe.

"Espeon? Espeon!" was Ammy's answer.

"Now there's a surprise," Grisom said, rubbing his eyes. Kyra turned to see that everyone else had woken up. Grisom continued, "It looks like Ammy evolved."

"Into an Espeon, no less. That means she really loves you," Tenga added.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Misya asked.

"Some Pokémon evolve based on happiness," Tenga explained. "Eevee can evolve into Espeon or Umbreon if happy enough, though which it becomes depends on the time of day. In the daytime, it evolves into Espeon; the nighttime, Umbreon. It takes a lot of trust in a trainer to evolve though."

"You're saying Ammy trusts me that much?" Kyra said, eyes wide.

"You saw her evolve. It wouldn't have happened if she didn't," Grisom pointed out.

"I guess that's true!" Kyra hugged Ammy, who gave a small bark of surprise. "Thank you, Ammy. I'm so lucky to have you as my friend."

Espeon closed her eyes and replied with a joyful yap. As she did, the jewel on her forehead began to glow, and Kyra was blasted back by an invisible force. She landed harshly on her back.

"Whoa! Are you all right?" Misya said as they ran over to her.

Kyra sat up shakily. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. What was that?"

They turned to Ammy to see her head drooped. Tenga said, "Sometimes, newly evolved Pokémon have trouble controlling their new powers. I bet Ammy doesn't know how to handle herself yet."

"Poor Ammy," Kyra said, rising and starting to approach her. But before she could reach her, Ammy dashed away.

"Hey, wait! Come back! I'm not mad at you!" Kyra cried. Ammy did not even look back as she continued to run. She swiftly vanished.

"She's probably scared of hurting you again," Misya assumed, her face downcast. "Growing up is really frightening."

Kyra sighed sadly. "There's nothing I can do?"

Hinata tugged on Tenga's pant leg. When he crouched next to her, she began to gesture to herself and then pointed after where Ammy had gone. Understanding, Tenga rose and told them, "Hinata has not evolved yet, but she knows exactly what Ammy is going through when it comes to loss of control. She's saying she wants to talk to her."

"I'd be really grateful if you would, Hinata," Kyra said. "She'd definitely listen to you."

Hinata nodded, and then began to walk the direction Ammy had gone. Once she had left, Grisom said, "We should wait here for them to return. We could use some breakfast anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Misya agreed.

…

Ammy finally stopped running a good distance away from the group and sat there, tears welling in her eyes. She clumsily tried to wipe them away with her newly-elongated tail.

_"Ammy?__ Ammy, are you there?"_

Ammy's ears perked up at the sound of the Pokémon's voice. She shakily answered as the speaker came into view. _"Hinata?__ Why did you come?"_

_"Because I thought I could help,"_ Hinata said in a more forthright tone than usual. Ammy was surprised to see her lack of shyness. _"When I first started to learn how to attack, I was afraid of hurting my trainer too. To this day, I still am. That's why I only attack when I have to. So I understand what you're going through."_

_"But you have defensive techniques to help them with,"_ Ammy said sadly. _"All I know is how to attack, and if I do that, I'll hurt Kyra, and all my other friends."_

_"Not necessarily,"_ Hinata answered. _"I know you have the power to control your attacks. It's hard to reach, but it's there. I haven't found my ability to control yet, and maybe you won't for some time too. Yet every time I attack, I get this feeling that maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to control myself the next time."_

_"And you were basically born with that," _Ammy murmured. _"My problem only came from evolution. It's more of a natural occurrence, so I'll probably have an easier time then you." _She shook her head. _"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have whined about it. You're having many more difficulties."_

_"Don't worry, it's perfectly all right," _Hinata assured. _"Why don't you practice using your attacks now, while you're away from everyone else?"_

_"On the terrain?__ That might work." _Ammy turned to a large rock nearby and went into a crouch, glaring at it. Her eyes began to glow blue, and then the area around it practically exploded. Ammy yelped in shock at the noise, while smoke began to rise from the area.

_"This power could also be a peak due to just evolving," _Hinata suggested. _"As in, after more time passes, your power level will drop, which makes it easier to control."_

_"Yeah, you have a point there." _Ammy steadied her breathing. _"I'll try again in a moment."_

They waited in silence for the effects to vanish. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a roar.

_"That noise… it came from where everyone else is!" _Ammy exclaimed.

_"Quick, come over here! I'll use Teleport to get us to them!" _Hinata said.

Ammy nodded and went next to her. Hinata began to glow, and then the two of them vanished.

…

Though the others ate with a healthy appetite, Kyra barely managed to nibble at her food. When Misya noticed this, she said, "You shouldn't worry so much, Kyra. I'm sure Ammy will be back soon."

"This is one of the only chances you'll have today to eat," Grisom pointed out.

"I know. I just can't help being concerned," Kyra said. She did her best to finish her meal afterwards though.

While they cleared up their belongings, Tsuku tensed, and then started to growl. Aves and Gaki also seemed disturbed by something.

"What's wrong?" Tenga said. "Is something out there?"

Their answer came in the form of a roar, and a large Pokémon emerged. It was a brown bear with a white ring on its stomach. Its eyes were pure white, and it was foaming at the mouth.

"An Ursaring! And it sure doesn't look friendly," Grisom stated.

A sweatdrop formed on the back of Tenga's head. "Hope it doesn't want a hug."

"Another insane Pokémon?" Misya said.

"Yeah, which means we should defeat it." Grisom pointed at the Ursaring. "Wukong, attack with Ember!"

Wukong spat fire at the Ursaring, but it batted the flames away with one paw and swiped at the Chimchar. He went flying with a cry.

"It's no good! An Ursaring is too strong for him to handle!" Grisom recalled Wukong. "We're going to have to attack with multiple Pokémon at once or we won't stand a chance!"

"Okay! Let's each send one in! Tsuku, go!" Kyra called.

"Hama, attack!" "Ranma, you're up!" "Aves, attack from above!" At each trainer's call, the Pokémon sprang forward. Tsuku barreled at it with a Tackle attack, but the Ursaring slammed him with a fist, knocking him back. The other one hit Ranma with an uppercut, sending the Torchic spinning. Hama managed to use a Psywave, and Aves delivered a Wing Attack to its head. Before they could attack again though, the enraged Ursaring vanished, and appeared behind Hama while hitting her with a solid blow. She fell to the ground at once.

"What happened? I thought he was using Normal attacks!" Misya exclaimed.

"That was Faint Attack, a Dark move," Tenga said, wincing as it scratched Aves several times. The poor bird had to retreat as fast as he could. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

"But we have to keep trying!" Kyra protested.

Before they could decide on their next move, Hinata and Ammy appeared in front of them with a flash. Taking in the situation at once, Ammy stepped towards the Ursaring and began to growl.

"Ammy!" Kyra said. "You're back!"

"Hinata, good timing," Tenga said, patting her on the head. "Glad you knew Teleport."

The Ursaring bellowed at Ammy, who looked nervous but determined. Kyra too was uneasy, but said, "Are you up for this, Ammy?"

Ammy glanced at Hinata, and then Kyra, and nodded as she faced the Ursaring again. Her jewel began to glow.

"Is Espeon a Psychic Pokémon?" Kyra asked. "She looks like Neji and Hinata do before attacking."

"Yes," Tenga said. "Just watch and you'll see the similarities."

Ammy was concentrating with all her might, eyes slits as they glared at the Ursaring. Power continued to build up in her jewel. A blast of power emerged from it, and the Ursaring roared in agony as it was hit. It swayed, badly hurt by the attack, and then collapsed.

"Now's my chance!" Grisom threw a Poké Ball, and the Ursaring vanished into it. The ball gave a few feeble shakes before going still.

"All right, you got him!" Misya said.

Kyra ran over to Ammy and lifted her, laughing happily. "That was incredible, Ammy! You managed to focus your attack on only that target, and look at how much damage it did!" Ammy responded by licking her chin.

"Looks like she's gotten the hang of fighting in her new form," Tenga said.

"Yeah, that's great!" Kyra set her down.

As she did, Ammy walked over to Hinata and waved her tail a few times while barking. Hinata flushed a bit and nodded in response. Ammy then headed over to the other Eevees, who crowded around her excitedly.

"Let's see if this worked." Grisom tossed the Poké Ball, and the Ursaring emerged. Its eyes were now clear, and it grunted a few times towards Grisom.

"You're fine now." Grisom pressed the button on his Poké Ball. "Okay, you can go now. Try to keep out of trouble."

The Ursaring nodded and lumbered off. Once it was gone, Misya said, "That's the first insane Pokémon we've seen in a long time. I wonder if any more are ahead."

"Let's hope not," Kyra said. "But if there are, we'll be ready to help them."

"Right," Grisom agreed. "Now, we've wasted enough time here. Let's get going!"

The suggestion was fully agreed to, and the group started off once more.

To be continued…


	20. Dragon's Home

You'll really sink your teeth into this chapter! Wow, that was a bad pun, please forgive me.

**Chapter Twenty: Dragon's Home**

The morning after the Ursaring incident remained fairly uneventful. They continued walking across the plains without seeing any other wild Pokémon. As they went, the ground started to transform from grass to dirt. Mountains appeared around them, until they entered a rocky terrain. It was the afternoon before they saw a sign nearby that said, _Here_ _there be dragons_.

"We're here at last!" Misya said.

"We should be able to get a good way through it before night falls," Grisom stated.

Kyra looked down at her Eevees, who were panting heavily. Only Ammy was in good shape. "I think we should let our Pokémon rest. They're already tired, and hiking through the mountains won't help."

"Yeah, you're right," Tenga said. He recalled all but Ranma, who perched on his shoulder and chirped. Kyra left Ammy out and Misya let Hama remain, while Grisom recalled all of his Pokémon.

"Speaking of being tired, I think we should take a break too," Misya suggested. "I'm exhausted from all of this walking."

"It's amazing you haven't tripped yet," Grisom remarked.

Misya glared at him while Kyra said, "I agree with Misya. I feel like this traveling around is the first time I've ever exercised so much."

"I think only Grisom is used to it," Tenga said. "Though we should get better at it as we keep traveling."

Grisom shrugged. "All right then, we'll take a break at the first good spot we find."

That turned out to not be far from their current location. They soon found a small, circular area with five large rocks. Each of the trainers took one, with Ammy curling up on the fifth to sunbathe.

"So we'll be finding lots of Dragon Pokémon here?" Kyra asked. "But I thought they were very rare."

"In other locations, yes, they are," Tenga explained. "Dragon's Home is the only place where you can find them frequently. Even then, it's difficult to, because most Dragons are shy and keep to themselves."

"Yeah. I doubt we'll see any soon," Grisom said.

A crunching sound answered him, and he leapt up with a yelp. "Argh! What just bit me?"

They looked at his leg to see a Pokémon attached to it. Its skin was light blue with a brown stomach. On top of its head was a shark fin. With miniature arms and legs, and a short tail, it seemed miraculous that it could stand at all. These were made up by its huge mouth, which it used to grip onto Grisom's leg with.

"It's a Gible," Tenga said, looking amused. "One that is apparently hungry."

"I'll give it hungry! Get off!" Grisom smacked the Gible over the head, and it let go. With a happy squeak, it chose to bite his arm next. Grisom shook his arm several times with no success in throwing the Gible off.

"Aw, it likes you," Misya said with a laugh.

"And I don't like it!" Grisom threw a Poké Ball. "It's both a Dragon and a Ground type, so Water attacks will at least do neutral damage! Betta, attack the Gible with Water Gun!"

Though Betta was a fish, when she appeared, she was able to use her wing-like fins to stay in the air. She spat a Water Gun at the Gible, knocking it away. In the process, Grisom was completely soaked, and looked fairly annoyed.

"You're having a good time," Kyra joked.

"I don't need anyone to comment," Grisom grumbled. "Betta, use Pound!"

The Gible launched a Tackle at the same time Betta tried to slap it with her fins. The two of them were sent a distance away from each other.

"I've got it now!" Grisom threw a Poké Ball, and the Gible vanished inside. It shook three times before going still.

"Wow, you caught it," Misya said. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Keep it. Gible can be a strong Pokémon." Grisom recalled Betta and released the Gible, who chirped at him. "Welcome to the team, boy. Your name is now Haar."

With a joyful cry, he bit onto Grisom's arm again. Grisom groaned and recalled him. "This one's going to be a handful."

"You can say that again," Kyra agreed.

Once they all sat down, Misya said, "How big is Dragon's Home?"

"Very big, but we won't be exploring the whole place," Grisom told her. "There are several routes to Quartz Town, and I think I know the best way to it. If worst comes to worst, we can use Aves to plan which way we'll go."

"Sounds fair enough to me," Kyra said.

"Not many people travel through Dragon's Home, so there aren't any signs of civilization here," Tenga added. "We'll be on our own until we reach Quartz Town."

They spent the rest of their stop in silence, enjoying the fine weather and the gentle breeze. Soon it was time to continue on, so they got up and went up the path nearby.

It was about an hour later when the next event occurred. They had reached the first fork in the road and were trying to decide which way to go when they heard a sharp crack from the left path.

"What was that?" Kyra asked.

"Let's check it out," Misya suggested.

Taking the left path, they soon saw a woman standing on the path and surrounded by rubble. She had many bandages tied around her top instead of a shirt, along with a black skirt and more bandages around the upper part of her legs. Her hands also were wrapped in them, and they could see some were around her feet, though dark blue martial arts shoes covered most of them. Her short, dark blue hair was tied in a bun and had a cloth cover, and she had brown eyes.

"Another Pokémon trainer?" Misya assumed.

"Hm? I didn't expect to see anyone out here," the woman said, turning to them with a smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mili. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Kyra, and they're Misya, Grisom, and Tenga," Kyra answered. "We're traveling through here to reach Quartz Town."

"Taking the gym challenge? I wouldn't be surprised; you all look like good trainers," Mili said.

"Why are you here?" Grisom asked.

"I'm training my martial art skills." She walked to a large, flat rock with several cracks in it. "Watch this!" She brought up her hand and struck the rock with a hard blow. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the rock burst apart, showering everyone with dust.

"That's incredible!" Kyra exclaimed. "You're really strong!"

"You bet I am! See, I'll do it again!" She went to another rock that was blocking a path, this one large and round, and slammed it with her hand. A cracking noise was heard from her hand, and she staggered back, holding onto it. "Ow! Ow ow ow! Okay, note to self, don't try it on those types of rocks. Owww."

"Why am I reminded of Dad?" Tenga muttered.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kyra asked, wincing slightly.

"Yeah, I think so." Mili used her unhurt hand to bring out a disk and handed it to Tenga. "Here, take this. I know most people can't break rocks like I do, but that HM06, Rock Smash, should do the trick. You'll need a certain badge to use it outside of battle, but until then, you can use it in battle. Enjoy it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take care of my hand." She walked away while nursing her injured hand.

"That was kind of disturbing," Misya remarked.

"You haven't seen disturbing yet," Tenga muttered. He put Ranma on the ground and held the HM06 up to his head. "Ready to learn this?"

Ranma nodded, and the disk began to glow. It soon faded, and Ranma leapt around happily.

"Kyra and Misya don't have anyone to learn it, but I've got Wukong and Haar," Grisom said as he tossed out their Poké Balls. Two uses of the disk later, they both knew the technique and were recalled.

"As, um, interesting as that was, we should keep going," Misya said.

They took the path that had been previously blocked by one of the smash-able rocks. After several twists and turns the path took, they arrived in an area that surprised them. To contrast the dry landscape that they had passed through previously, before them was a large pond with grass and tiny flowers surrounding it. Two trees provided shade to the otherwise sunny location, and a large rock emerged from the water. Lying on top of the rock was a blue sea serpent with a white underbelly. Two white objects similar to ears emerged from the sides of its head, and a white spot was on the center of its forehead. It was currently asleep, oblivious to the travelers that had just emerged.

"Hey, is that another Dragon?" Kyra asked.

"Sure is. That's a Dratini," Grisom said.

Misya watched it with sparkling eyes. "It's so cute! I have to capture it!"

"Huh? You actually want to capture a Pokémon for once?" Kyra said.

"Sure do! I can't resist; it's too darling to pass up!" Misya brought out a Poké Ball. "And since it's asleep, I don't even have to weaken it!" She threw the ball at the Dratini.

For a moment, it looked like it was going to connect. But to their surprise, the Dratini suddenly slapped the ball back at Misya, who barely managed to catch it before it hit her face. Then the Dratini dove underwater, leaving no trace of it having ever been there.

"Oh no!" Misya groaned. "How am I going to find it now? I can't swim!"

"Ouch, that Dratini found your weakness," Grisom commented.

A thought came to Misya and she smiled. "Wait, I've got it! Go, Feebas!" With the toss of a ball, Feebas emerged in the water and began to splash about.

"Feebas? You honestly think it's going to be able to defeat a Dratini?" Grisom said.

"You never know until you try! Feebas, find that Dratini!" Misya commanded. The Feebas leapt once before diving underwater.

All the group could do was wait, for it took a long time. Ammy, bored with the wait, started to chase Ranma around. Hama stayed by Misya, and they both stared at the face of the water expectantly.

"I'm surprised Hama isn't jealous by Misya's affection for that Dratini," Kyra remarked.

"It's probably because Hama knows it'll make Misya very happy if she manages to catch it," Tenga responded. "Think about it; all of Misya's Pokémon were either caught by accident or by befriending them. This is a chance for her to prove that she can catch one on her own."

"You've got a good point," Kyra said. "For her sake, I hope she succeeds."

At that moment, the Feebas emerged at the top of the pond. Unfortunately for Misya, it was clearly knocked out.

"I guess Feebas wasn't cut out for the job," Misya said gloomily, pulling out its Poké Ball. The Feebas did not respond as it was recalled.

"You don't have any other Water Pokémon. What will you do now?" Grisom asked.

Misya responded by running to one of the trees and beginning to climb it. Kyra, alarmed at the sudden act, said, "Misya, wait! Aren't you afraid of heights?"

"I am, but this isn't as bad as some heights I've faced! Besides, I'm determined to catch that Dratini!" Misya reached a large branch and clung onto it. They could barely see her due to the foliage. "Now all of you, please, hide somewhere else! I want the Dratini to let its guard down!"

"What crazy plan does she have this time?" Grisom muttered.

"We may as well let her try it," Tenga said. "Let's go behind that rock over there."

Once they had all hidden behind the rock, they began to watch for the Dratini to emerge. The sun continued to move in the sky, and still they waited. Their patience was rewarded when at long last the Dratini emerged from the water, poking its head out directly below the tree Misya was in.

Kyra's eyes widened. "No way. You don't think she'd try to-"

She was cut off by Misya lunging from the tree to drop straight onto the Dratini, which she grabbed. The Dratini yelped and dove underwater with Misya still holding on.

"I'm debating on whether to change her name from walking disaster to insane klutz," Grisom joked. "Walking disaster has a ring to it that I like though."

"Will she be okay? She can't swim!" Kyra said. Hama apparently shared the same feelings as her, for she hovered above the water nervously.

"We'll have to wait and see," Tenga answered.

…

It was with all her might that Misya clung onto the Dratini. Being underwater scared her, but the realization that this was her ultimate chance kept her focused. She quickly tried to think of what to do next to weaken it.

Before she could do anything, a Poké Ball at her side burst open, and Yuki emerged. Misya would have slapped her forehead if she could have afforded to let go, but as it was, she could only watch helplessly as Yuki struggled to swim. Unable to due to only having two miniature legs, Yuki did the next best thing: she bit the Dratini and held on with all her strength.

…

What happened next could only be described as comical for the onlookers. From the water jumped the Dratini, its eyes wide open in pain. As it soared, Misya accidentally let go and fell into the water. She was barely able to grab the rock in the middle to save herself. The source of the Dratini's pain soon became clear when they noticed Yuki biting it.

"I didn't know Dratinis could leap that high," Grisom mused. "If Misya catches it, she should do further experiments on the subject."

"Very funny," Kyra said with a sigh.

The Dratini landed on the rock. When it did, Yuki finally let go. Tenga took the opportunity to yell, "Misya, have Yuki attack it! Dragons are weak against Ice!"

"Oh! Okay then! Yuki, use your Powder Snow!" Misya called.

Yuki twirled on the rock, and crystals blew by the Dratini. It writhed in pain before collapsing.

"You're mine!" Misya said, throwing the empty Poké Ball once more. The Dratini vanished into it, and the ball began to shake. They all held their breaths as they watched, until at last the ball went still.

"You got it!" Kyra exclaimed. "Good job, Misya!"

"Thanks!" Misya climbed onto the rock and held up the Poké Ball triumphantly. "I now have a Dratini!" She turned to Tenga. "Thanks for the suggestion, Tenga. That helped a lot. So did Yuki!" Yuki responded by dancing around her until Misya managed to recall her.

"That's great and all, but there's one little problem," Grisom said. "How are you going to get back here?"

Misya blinked, and then looked at the water surrounding her. "Um, I have no idea. I'm stuck here!"

"You could always use the Dratini you just caught to help you swim back," Tenga suggested.

"Good idea! Dratini, come on out!" Misya tossed the Poké Ball.

When the Dratini emerged, however, it was curled up and had its eyes closed. Misya knelt by it in concern. "Are you all right?" A moment later, however, her eye twitched. "It's asleep!"

"Again?" Kyra said.

"Sounds like you caught a pretty lazy Pokémon," Grisom laughed.

Misya sighed. "Oh well, at least it's still cute. Hey, are you a girl, Dratini?"

The Dratini looked up at her, blinked, and shook its head before settling back down.

"I guess I'll call you Shen then," Misya said. "Okay Shen, let's swim back to shore!"

Only Shen's snores answered her.

"Shen, if you do this for me, I won't bother you for the rest of the day. I'll let you sleep as much as you want," Misya said persuasively. "So would you please help me get there?"

Shen yawned and dove into the water. Misya quickly grabbed him and hung on as he brought her to the other side. She climbed out, and true to her word, she left Shen where he was so he could sleep some more. "Sorry for taking so long, guys! I'm just glad I caught him."

"He'll make a good addition to your team," Tenga said.

"Yeah, but talk about long." Grisom pointed at the sky. "It's nearly nighttime already!"

"Oops." Misya rubbed the back of her head.

"That's all right. This is the perfect place to stay for the night," Kyra said, bringing out the rest of her Eevees while making sure Mary came out a good distance away from the water. "Let's make camp."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Tenga said as he released his Pokémon too. Misya and Grisom followed suit. Even the Feebas came out again, though it still needed time to recover the beating Shen had given it.

While they ate, Misya set food in front of Shen. At a speed comparable to Ranma, he gobbled down his meal and went back to sleep. Misya stared in disbelief. "He is really determined to keep sleeping."

Ranma went up to Shen and pecked him, curious if he would wake up from it. Shen's only response was to absent-mindedly hit him with his tail, sending him flying into Tsuku. Tsuku snarled and barked at Ranma, who leapt back and fluttered his wings in a half-hearted apology.

"That's basically Shen's way of saying, 'Do not disturb'," Tenga remarked.

"Looks that way. I wonder if he'll even battle?" Misya said.

"Probably. Just because he's lazy doesn't mean he'll disobey you," Grisom answered. He winced as Haar, who was now done eating, bit onto his leg. "Why is this Gible obsessed with trying to eat me?"

"You must taste good," Kyra said, chuckling.

Grisom sighed and shoved Haar away. "Anyway, we should get some rest. Tomorrow will come soon, and we should try to get through Dragon's Home by next nightfall."

"Okay," Misya said. She lay down next to Shen, using him as a pillow. He did not even stir from it. "Good night everyone."

The others gave their good nights as well before falling asleep.

To be continued…


	21. Just As Planned?

Being sick has some benefits I guess.

**Chapter Twenty-One: Just As Planned?**

Darkness once again surrounded Kyra's dreams. When she woke up, she was as clueless as ever to what it meant. Shaking her head, she rose to see how everyone else was doing.

Tenga was taking the final watch, and with him was Hinata and Neji, each sitting on one of his shoulders. He nodded to her as she approached. "Good morning."

"Morning," Kyra whispered back. "Everything going all right?"

"Yep. No mishaps during the night. By the way, Ammy's already awake. You might want to check on her." Tenga indicated to a rock nearby.

Kyra went over to the rock to see Ammy sitting on it. Her coat was shining with the sunlight, and she had her eyes closed, as if enjoying it immensely. Smiling, Kyra patted her on the head. "I guess you like the sunrise, huh Ammy?"

Ammy waved her tail in response. She then sprang down from the rock and walked to Tsuku, who she licked on the face. He came awake with a start and stared at her for a moment before getting up and scratching his ear. Ammy attempted to engage him in conversation, but as usual, Tsuku was not much of a talker.

"Is it morning already?" Misya said, yawning as she sat up. Shen continued to sleep peacefully at her side.

"Looks that way," Grisom replied. He looked down at his leg, sighed, and pried Haar off it; apparently the Gible even bit during his sleep. Standing, he said, "Let's eat, and then we can decide what to do."

It took barely any time for them to dig into their meals. Ranma and Shen seemed to be having a competition for who could eat the fastest, while Hinata, Leena, and Mary ate their food delicately. Once done, the Pokémon began to play with each other, swim, or converse. The only exception was Shen, who continued to sleep, and Aves, who Grisom called over.

"Aves, I want you to take to the air and make sure we're going the right way. You're going to be our navigator," Grisom told him. "Up for it?"

Aves chirped and flew up. He soon vanished over the rocks, leaving the group to begin picking up their supplies. Kyra had to abandon her duty though when she heard a yelp from Tsuku. Haar had bitten onto his tail, and as much as Tsuku struggled, he could not get him off. Even though Kyra tried with all her strength to help, Haar would not let go.

"Pesky little guy," Grisom said as he joined them. "Let me try." A moment later, he was holding Haar in his hands.

"Thanks," Kyra said. She pulled out the brush and began to neaten Tsuku's tail. "You'll be better in no time, Tsuku." Tsuku merely sighed in response.

Haar wiggled out of Grisom's grasp and walked over to Sasori. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Haar bit onto his tail. Instead of reacting with pain, Sasori moved his tail up, then down, up, and down, like he was weight lifting. Then he flung Haar off, straight into Grisom's face.

"When am I going to get used to this?" Grisom grumbled.

"I could ask the same thing," Tenga said as he watched Gaki run in energetic circles around him, chasing Ranma.

"It's funny, all of the quirks each Pokémon has," Misya remarked. "They're just like humans when it comes to personality."

"That's right. They're all different, even if from the same species," Kyra said. She put away the brush and patted Tsuku. "I can especially tell that from watching how each of my Eevees act."

"That's one of the things I enjoy about Pokémon," Tenga said. "It's interesting to see the differences in how they act."

Aves came flying back down, and screeched. Everyone but Grisom covered their ears, while he said, "What's wrong, Aves? Did you find something?"

Nodding, Aves flew towards the path leading out of the area. Everyone hurriedly recalled their Pokémon, except for Tsuku, Hama, and Ranma. They ran after Aves, who continued to lead them through the mountains.

Due to their speed, it was only a minute later before they heard faint cries. Kyra said, "Is that what Aves was trying to tell us?"

"Good, Aves! Return for now!" Grisom recalled him and they continued.

The cries continued to grow louder as they got closer. Then they came onto a wide path with an open cliff to their right, while the path had several people and Pokémon standing at the top. There were four people, all of them Team Aqua members. Each of them had a Pokémon. One was a Snover, while the other looked like a brown, furry pig with closed eyes and the third appeared to be a blue, round seal. The fourth, which the leader had, was a white, majestic seal with a horn on its forehead. In front of each Pokémon were several ice blocks, with tiny blue birds that had white, cloud-like wings. One ice block, bigger than the others, had a larger blue bird with a cloud body trapped.

"What's going on here?" Misya demanded.

The Team Aqua members looked down at them. The one with the pig said, "What d'ya know, it's a bunch of kids!"

"Why don't you pipsqueaks run along?" the Snover trainer said. "We're busy stealing Dragon Pokémon here."

"What? We're not about to stand by and let you do that!" Kyra said.

"Those are Swablus, and an Altaria, its evolved form," Tenga realized. "We have to try and help them!"

"The Snover, Swinub, and Spheal should be easy enough to beat, but be careful of that Dewgong," Grisom advised.

"We have two Fire Pokémon; let's use them to free the Swablus and Altaria!" Misya said.

"We'll use our other Pokémon to defeat theirs; you two focus on saving them!" Kyra directed to Grisom and Tenga. They both nodded and tossed their Poké Balls. Wukong and Ranma came out and bristled at the sight before them.

"Hama, you're my best choice! Go get them!" Misya said. Hama nodded and glared ahead. Misya also released Yuki. "Help her out, Yuki!"

"Tsuku, I choose you!" Kyra declared. Tsuku sprang forward and snarled. "Ammy, take on the Dewgong!" Ammy appeared in a flash.

"You think you can beat us that easily? Snover, Grasswhistle!" The Snover let out a strange whistle, which caused Yuki to topple over and begin to snore.

"Oh, Yuki! Return!" Misya hurriedly called her back.

"Swinub, Mud Slap!" another commanded. It sent a bunch of mud into Tsuku's face.

"Tsuku, counter with Tackle!" Kyra said. Blinded, however, Tsuku missed completely.

"Spheal, it's your turn! Ice Ball now!" The Spheal spun towards Hama and knocked her back with the chilling attack.

"Hama, counter with your Psywave!" Misya ordered. Hama did so, but the Spheal rolled straight through the attack to hit her again.

"Dewgong, get that Espeon with your Ice Beam!" A blue beam emerged from the Dewgong's horn and hit Ammy. An ice block formed around her, freezing her in place.

"Ammy!" Kyra cried.

While those battles were occurring, Wukong and Ranma were defrosting the Swablus with their Ember attacks. As the Swablu were freed, they flew away hurriedly. But there were many Swablu to save, and soon Wukong and Ranma were panting heavily, unable to even breathe out a spark.

"Ranma, you can't give up!" Tenga said. "Try to keep going!"

"Wukong, come on! We have to save them!" Grisom urged.

"Your Pokémon are pathetic! Snover, Grasswhistle!" This time, it hit Ranma, who curled up and started to snooze. Tenga groaned as he recalled him.

"It's up to you, Wukong! Give it all you've got!" Grisom said.

Wukong weakly brought up his head to try using Ember again, but the flames died on his lips. Then the Dewgong leapt towards him and slapped him with his tail, sending him flying over the cliff edge.

"No!" Grisom exclaimed.

"Nothin' to it," the Aqua leader boasted. "None of you stand a chance against us. Now, Dewgong, freeze these pesky trainers and we'll be on our way!"

The Dewgong straightened, pointing his horn towards them. Before he could attack, a spinning, flaming blur shot over the cliff and slammed into the Dewgong. It squealed as the flame ball bounced away, leaving it badly scorched.

"What was that?" Misya said.

The wielder of the attack landed before them. It was a monkey like Wukong, but larger in size and with brown fur. White fur was around his neck, and blue marks were over his eyes. He now had a long tail, with a flame at the tip of it.

"Wukong evolved into a Monferno!" Tenga said.

Grisom grinned. "Good timing, Wukong! And it looks like you learned Flame Wheel to boot. Use it to finish off that Dewgong!"

The Monferno sprang forward and spun rapidly once more. The Dewgong flew back, crushing the Aqua leader.

"Now's our chance! Tsuku, get that Swinub!" Kyra called. By that point, Tsuku had cleared the mud from his eyes, and lunged at the Swinub. It bounced a couple of times and landed in front of its trainer.

"Hama, dodge the Spheal! Then use Astonish and Psywave!" Hama hovered over the Spheal, waiting for it to stop rolling around. When it did, she blasted it with her two attacks, rendering it unconscious.

"Wukong, Ember on that Snover!" Grisom ordered. Wukong shot a series of powerful flames at it, catching it on fire. It cried out and ran towards its trainer, who fled to avoid being burned.

The Aqua leader managed to recall his Dewgong and rose, gritting his teeth. "You brats may have beaten us this time, but we'll get you back for this! Retreat for now!"

"Yes sir!" They hurriedly followed their leader to get away.

"We beat them!" Kyra said. Tsuku barked triumphantly, and Hama smirked at the fleeing figures. Wukong bounced around while screeching.

"We're not done yet," Grisom said, though he was smiling. "Wukong, melt the rest of these ice blocks!"

Wukong began to use his Ember to free Ammy, the rest of the Swablus, and the Altaria. Kyra made sure Ammy was okay before recalling her. Once the Swablus and Altaria were freed, they gathered around the group and chirped several times.

"I think they're saying thank you," Misya said in delight.

"We were happy to help," Kyra told them.

"Try to avoid other people like that from now on," Tenga advised. "Most members of teams like that can't be trusted."

They nodded, and then took flight and vanished into the sky. Once they were gone, Grisom patted Wukong on the head. "You did wonderfully."

"I thought Wukong was a goner when he fell off that cliff," Misya said, shivering. "Can we get out of here quickly? I hate heights."

"Right." Grisom recalled Wukong. "We'd better keep moving."

"Sure thing," Tenga said as he called out Gaki. With Ranma snoozed out, he had decided to give Gaki some fresh air.

They were quick to get off the high ground, much to Misya's relief. As they continued down the path, they suddenly heard a chorus of yells.

"What was that?" Kyra asked.

"We'll probably find out whether we want to or not," Grisom answered.

A short distance later, they saw the four Team Aqua members caught under a net. They were scrambling to get free, but froze at seeing the group.

"What are you guys doing here?" Misya said.

"Get lost, brats! We're already in a bad enough mood after this net came out of nowhere!" the leader said.

"Fine by me. Have fun getting out on your own," Grisom said as he walked by. The others followed him without looking back, even when they heard the Team Aqua members crying for help.

"They deserved that," Kyra stated. She looked puzzled as she added, "Though I have to wonder how it happened."

"Who knows? I'm not going to lose sleep over it," Grisom replied.

As they went further down the road, they went out of range of Team Aqua's voices. It was then that they saw a small, blue creature on its hind legs. It had a firm, white covering on its head, and it gazed at them evenly.

"It's a Bagon," Tenga said with a curious look. "But why is it standing right there?"

Gaki barked cheerfully and ran forward eagerly. Unfortunately for him, the ground suddenly gave out, and he plunged down with a howl.

"Oh, great," Tenga sighed. "It was a pit trap."

"You mean this Bagon set up a trap? They usually aren't that smart," Grisom remarked. "Seems odd to me."

The Bagon snickered and ran off, leaving them facing the huge, round pit. Misya shook her head. "Why do I get the feeling that Bagon said, 'Just as planned'?"

"At least I can recall Gaki," Tenga said as he did so. "If we had fallen in, it would have been a lot harder to get out." He brought Gaki out again, who yelped in confusion at what had just happened.

"Let's see if we can walk around it," Kyra suggested, indicating to the narrow pieces of land still intact.

"That might work," Grisom agreed.

One at a time, they carefully inched over the remaining ground. It was a slow process, but they made it without falling in. Once they were there, they sighed in relief.

"That was a close one," Kyra said.

"I wonder where that Bagon went?" Misya mused, looking around.

"Hopefully far away from us," Grisom said as he resumed walking. They followed him, Tenga looking thoughtful as they did.

Towards a fork, they saw the Bagon to the right. Gaki howled and charged forward, angry at being tricked previously.

"Gaki, stop!" Tenga called.

But it was no good, for Gaki tried to attack the Bagon with a Tackle. It dodged the hit, and Gaki crashed into the wall. Rocks poured from above to completely block off the path ahead.

"Oh no, another trap," Kyra groaned.

The Bagon's snickering was once more heard, and then a pattering of feet.

"Looks like it's gone now," Misya said.

Tenga rubbed Gaki's head while he whined. "That Bagon's got high intelligence, that's for sure."

"I get the feeling it likes us," Kyra said in a resigned tone. "That's why it's teasing with us."

"If it blocks us again I'm not going to hold back," Grisom growled.

They had to take the left path to continue going. As they did, they soon saw a huge tree ahead that was slanted sideways. In front of it stood the Bagon, who waved at them mockingly.

"We're not falling for another trap," Grisom snapped, getting a Poké Ball ready. But before he could throw it, a light green dragonfly with dark green wings and eyes landed by the tree. Its tail swept through the air and hit the trunk, dislodging a stone. The dragonfly barely scrambled out of the way before the tree collapsed, blocking the road.

"Now that didn't go as planned," Grisom smirked. "That Vibrava is going to be pretty mad about that."

He was right, for the Vibrava turned to the Bagon and snarled at it. The Bagon slowly stepped back as the Vibrava started towards it. As it got closer, Tenga stepped between the two.

"Tenga, what are you doing? That Bagon deserves to get trashed after all it did to us!" Grisom said.

"I like the Bagon," Tenga replied. "I admire its intelligence. So I've decided to defend it. You don't have to help if you don't want to."

Grisom sighed. "Whatever, bookstore."

The Vibrava advanced towards Tenga, who raised Gaki's Poké Ball. "That's a Ground and Dragon type, so you won't do well, Gaki. Return for now."

Instead, Gaki sprang forward, his teeth becoming icy. He bit onto the Vibrava, who was gravely wounded from the attack. It hurriedly flew away, leaving the group stunned.

"Was that Ice Fang?" Tenga said. Gaki nodded, and Tenga said, "Do you know Fire Fang too?" Gaki responded by having his teeth be covered in flames and bit the tree, setting it on fire. Tenga blinked, and commented, "You sure did have good parents."

"No kidding," Grisom said.

They turned to look at the Bagon, and Misya said, "So what now? Are you going to run off and try to trick us again?"

The Bagon shook its head, and indicated to itself, and then Tenga. Kyra asked, "Tenga, do you think it wants to come with you?"

"I think so," Tenga said. He reached out his hand to the Bagon. "If you're willing to join my team, I'd be happy to accept."

The Bagon shook his hand. "Are you a male?" It shook its head. "In that case, I'll name you Kazul."

Gaki scowled at Kazul, who laughed and said something. Gaki looked happier after that and nodded.

"Kazul, you know this area well, right? Could you lead us to Quartz Town?" Misya asked.

Kazul nodded, and took the lead. The group continued to follow her through Dragon's Home.

To be continued…


	22. The Master of Dragons

I am still sick. Fun.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Master of Dragons**

With Kazul showing them the way, the path through Dragon's Home took no time to get through. They quickly found themselves at the end of the path, with a sign saying they were leaving the area.

"Thanks a lot," Tenga said to her as they reached the end. "We made it here much faster than we had hoped."

Kazul nodded, and looked above them, to where cliffs and mountains extended. Seeming bothered by something, she gestured to a section in the mountains.

"What's wrong?" Tenga asked. Kazul pointed at a mountain, and then a bare spot in the landscape, and tilted her head. "A mountain is supposed to be there?" She nodded again.

"That's really bizarre. What could destroy a mountain?" Kyra wondered.

A whistling noise came from above, and a thud sounded as an object fell on Tenga's head. Stunned at the blow, he fell over, and an empty Poké Ball rolled away from him. It collided with the being that had fallen and opened, capturing it inside. The ball did not even shake; it instantly went still.

"What just happened?" Misya inquired.

"I'd like to know myself," Grisom said.

"Are you all right, Tenga?" Kyra asked, offering him a hand.

Tenga accepted it and pulled himself up. "My head hurts, but I'll be okay. I'm more curious as to what I just caught, if you could call that me capturing something." He lifted the Poké Ball and gave it a curious look before dropping it.

Out of the Poké Ball emerged a light-green creature, about two feet tall, which stood on its hind legs. It had a horn emerging from the top of its head, and its tail had looked like several miniature spikes grown close together. A red diamond was on its chest, and its red eyes stared up at Tenga.

"A Larvitar," Tenga said, rubbing his head. "That explains a lot."

"What do you mean?" Kyra questioned.

"Larvitars will eat a mountain before going to sleep to grow," Tenga explained. "This one must have just been getting ready to go to sleep."

"An entire mountain?" Kyra said in shock. Misya's eyes were also wide.

"That's right. They can eat a lot of soil." Tenga knelt in front of the Larvitar. "I didn't mean to catch you, but if you want to stay with me, I don't mind at all." The Larvitar nodded. "What to call you, I wonder. You're a male? All right then, how about Yamitsuchi? Tsu for short." Tenga looked a bit sheepish as he muttered, "Kind of reminds me of Dad, though I don't know why."

Tsu tilted his head, and then leapt up and down before racing around Tenga. Misya said, "Um, if he just ate a mountain, shouldn't he be sleepy?"

"I think capturing him interrupted his sleeping process," Tenga said with a sigh. "Who knows how long it'll be before he calms down." He brought out the Poké Ball. "Return for now."

Tsu was brought back into the ball, but a moment later, it burst open and Tsu reappeared before him. Tenga shook his head. "Looks like getting him back in won't be that easy."

"Does he ever stop being energetic?" Kyra asked. Tsu snickered at this.

"I guess all I can do is leave him out for now," Tenga said. "Gaki, please return for now. Kazul, you can stay out a bit longer, two Pokémon shouldn't be too many for town." Gaki obligingly went into the Poké Ball.

"Let's get to Quartz Town already," Grisom told them. "With any luck, we'll be able to challenge the gym leader today."

"We weren't ready for Gloria," Kyra reminded him. "Do you think this gym leader will be any different?"

"If nothing else, we have more Pokémon than before," Grisom pointed out. "Tenga has six, and Misya and I have five. Ammy evolved for you, so we all improved somehow. I think it's worth a try."

"Sounds good to me," Misya said while Tenga nodded.

"Okay then, I guess it can't hurt," Kyra agreed.

"That's right." Grisom led them out of the path, heading away from Dragon's Home. None of them noticed the figure in shadows that watched them go.

…

When they found the town, they realized it was not quite what they expected. There were no buildings; instead, they were all wooden houses with an ancient feel to them. They looked like one strong gust of wind would knock them over, but when Kyra pushed on a wall curiously, nothing happened.

"Looks can be deceiving," Tenga said. Kazul and Tsu were quick to agree with him.

"Excuse me for a moment, I want to take care of something." Grisom headed for one of the houses.

"Same here." Tenga went to what looked like a shop.

"What are they up to?" Kyra wondered.

Grisom returned first, and his attire had completely changed. He wore a dark green t-shirt, blue jeans, and had new shoes. Misya said, "You look pretty good."

"As always," Grisom said, to Misya's annoyance. "Though I have to wonder why my shoes came with a note that said, 'Hold down B to run'."

"Huh?" Kyra said.

He was saved from having to answer by Tenga's appearance. He now had a red scarf around his neck and a green vest. Grisom blinked at the sight. "Your clothing gets weirder by the day."

"For Kazul and Tsu?" Kyra assumed.

"That's right. Now we can go to the gym," Tenga said.

"I wonder where the gym is?" Misya thought out loud.

"Back there," Grisom said, pointing. They gazed forward to see a large cave entrance, with letters carved into the rock wall above that said, _Gym_.

"In there?" Kyra said.

"Seems that way. Let's check it out." Grisom headed for it, and the others went with him.

When they entered, they found themselves in a hallway, but it was not as dark as they had imagined it would be. Torches were on each side, providing a dim light. When they reached the end of the hall, they emerged into a huge cavern that had a majestic waterfall in the back. Crystals around it sparkled from the spray of the water, and there were rocks jutting out of it, making a stairway of sorts, which ended at a particularly large rock at the top.

Two boys were in the room, one on each side of the waterfall. They both wore the same outfit, which was a dark brown shirt, matching pants, and a black cape. Their brown hair was cut short, and their black eyes stared at them. Together, they said, "Welcome to the Quartz Town Pokémon Gym. We, the Dragon brothers, will be your opponents. If you beat us, you may face the gym leader. Do you challenge us?"

"One of us will," Kyra said. She glanced at the others. "But who should do it?"

"How about me?" Misya volunteered. "I'd like to see how well I'm doing."

"We accept your challenge." The brothers pulled out one Poké Ball each and hurled them. Out of them burst elegant, blue sea dragons with a white underbellies. They looked similar to Shen, except they were longer, had blue crystals on their throats and tails, and a white horn emerging from each of their heads.

"That's a Dragonair, the evolved version of Dratini," Tenga said.

"I thought you couldn't send out two Pokémon in an official battle?" Misya asked.

"This is called a double battle," Grisom explained. "You can send out two Pokémon to combat them."

"All right then," Misya said. "I'll send out-"

A ball on her waist burst open, and Yuki emerged, dancing. Misya groaned. "I guess Yuki's up." She brightened. "Though that's actually good now that I think about it. My other choice will be Shen!" She tossed his Poké Ball, and he came out. When he appeared, his eyes were closed, and he was snoozing on the battlefield. Misya put a hand to her head. "This isn't looking too good."

"Do you take us for fools?" one of the brothers said. "Our Dragonairs will tear you apart! Nevi, use Slam on the Dratini!" His Dragonair lunged into the air, coming towards Shen.

"Shen, wake up! You have to get out of the way!" Misya cried.

At the last moment, Shen's eyes came open, and he sprang aside. Nevi crashed into the ground painfully.

"Good job, Shen! Now use your-wait, what attacks does he have?" Misya muttered. "Dragon, Dragon, Dragons have what? Oh, I know! Shen, Twister!"

Shen began to circle Nevi at an incredibly fast speed, so fast that it whipped up a twister. When it finally died down, Nevi was sprawled on the ground, knocked out.

"Iven, it's your turn! Attack with your own Twister!" The other Dragonair approached to attack.

"Yuki, defend Shen with your Icy Wind attack!" Misya ordered. Yuki spun around, and a chilling wind with miniature crystals blew onto Iven, slowing down his movement.

"Okay Shen, now use your Slam!" With Iven going at a slower pace, Shen had no trouble smashing him into the ground, finishing the match.

"Urk! You're pretty good," the second brother said as they recalled their Pokémon.

"But you're still no match for our leader," the first stated.

"We'll see about that!" Misya said. "Where is your leader?"

"Up here."

They looked up the waterfall to see a woman standing on the rock at the top. She then leapt down, jumping from rock to rock until landing in front of the group. She wore a dark red shirt, black pants, and had a dark purple cape. Her black hair fell to her waist, and her eyes were a vivid purple.

"I knew you would come here," the woman said in a soft, flat tone. "My name is Rasha, and I accept your challenge. But first…" She produced a disk and handed it to Misya.

"What is this?" Misya asked.

"TM02, Dragon's Claw. It is to thank you for saving the group of Swablus," Rasha explained.

"What? You saw us do that?" Grisom said in surprise.

"Yes. I was going to take care of them, but your group appeared and handled the job nicely. That is deserving of my gratitude." Rasha took her cape with her hands and stretched it out, making it look like she had wings. "Shall we begin?"

"I'm ready!" Misya said. "And my first Pokémon will be Yuki!" Shen lazily moved to her side and closed his eyes again.

"Though you may think you are ready, you are not," Rasha said as she produced a Poké Ball. "You will not be able to defeat me as you are."

"What do you mean?" Misya asked, a bit flustered by the blunt statement.

Rasha's only response was to throw the Poké Ball. "Jake, you are my choice."

Out of the Poké Ball emerged light orange dragon with a yellow stomach. It had two yellow antennae, a horn on its head, and green wings, which it flapped eagerly.

"A Dragonite?" Tenga looked shocked at this. "I didn't expect her to have such advanced Dragon Pokémon."

"Dragonite's the final form of Dratini," Grisom said to a confused Kyra. "It's really powerful. I honestly don't see how Misya can win."

"We can't give up on her that easily!" Kyra called to Misya, "Go Misya! You can do it!"

"Right! Yuki, Icy Wind!" Yuki began to spin, bringing forth the freezing wind once more.

"Jake, dodge with Agility, and use Fire Punch." Jake took to the air and darted past the wind at an incredibly fast speed. His fist became coated in fire, and he slammed it into Yuki, who was sent sailing.

"Yuki!" Misya ran up to her and checked her condition, only to see that she was unable to even move. "You did your best, Yuki. Return." Once she had been recalled, Misya went back to her original position, looking considerably more worried than before. As she reached for her next Poké Ball, she happened to catch sight of Shen. Instead of sleeping as she had expected, he had his eyes open and was watching Jake with an unreadable expression.

Misya pushed the thought aside, focusing on the match at hand. "Leena, go! Use Stun Spore!" Leena appeared and shook her leaves as Jake, bringing out an orange powder.

"Jake, blow it away with Twister." Jake used his amazing speed to spin in circles around Leena, avoiding the Stun Spore and bringing up a Twister which dissipated it at once. Leena was blown to the ceiling. "Now, Slam." Flying next to her, Jake slapped her with his tail, and she crashed into the floor.

"No, Leena! Return!" Misya looked down, then at Hama. "I'm counting on you. Hama, go! Psywave!"

Hama flew out to attack, but before she could, Rasha said, "Fire Punch." Jake appeared before her in an instant and landed a fire-filled blow. Hama drifted to the ground without a sound.

"Even Hama?" Misya said in a defeated voice. "Hama, return." She looked at Shen. "You're my last chance, Shen."

Shen leapt onto the field, for once looking eager to fight. Misya said, "Shen, Twister!"

"Jake, use your Twister first!" Jake was far quicker than Shen, and he easily got his off before Shen could. The Dratini was flung into the air and landed harshly on the ground.

"Oh, Shen," Misya whispered. She held up his Poké Ball. "Return, Shen."

Though Shen was in horrible condition, he sprang out of the way of the beam that would have recalled him and shook his head.

"Shen? You're in no condition to fight!" Misya exclaimed.

Shen's answer was to go in a circle, calling up his own Twister. Jake darted out of the way and hit Shen with his tail. The blow proved to be too much for the smaller dragon. His eyes closed, and he went still.

"Why didn't you come back?" Misya said softly. She raised the Poké Ball, and Shen went back into it.

"Misya…" Kyra murmured. Grisom and Tenga remained silent.

"You did not think you could beat me, did you, little girl?" Rasha said.

Misya bristled. "I'm not little!"

"I did not mean it as an insult. I am just stating fact. You are little, and it is time you grew up," Rasha said. Misya's eyes widened at that, and Rasha continued, "It is a scary thing, growing up, but we all must come to terms with it. You cannot live out your life as a child."

"What makes you think I can't?" Misya retorted.

"If you do not accept becoming an adult, you will never defeat me." Rasha turned to face the waterfall. "I know that full well, for I once struggled as you do now."

Misya stared at her, and then shook her head. "No! I don't have to grow up, and you can't make me!" She fled from the cave.

"Misya!" Kyra said, but she did not return. She looked at Rasha and demanded, "Why did you say all of that? You really hurt her feelings!"

"I only spoke the truth," Rasha said, but her tone sounded regretful. She turned her head towards them. "She suffers from a problem that I am very familiar with. Back then, I only had one friend to help me through it. Misya is lucky to have the three of you and all of her Pokémon. Help her come to terms with herself. You will know when she does. That is when I will face her. At that time, I will go all out." Rasha leapt up, and Jake dove below her to catch her on his back, flying her to the top of the waterfall.

"Them's the breaks," one of the brothers said. "You should go find your friend."

"She's probably at the Pokémon Center," Grisom inferred. "Do you know where that is?"

"It has a Poké Ball symbol at the top, so you can't miss it," the second brother answered. "See you kids later."

As they walked towards the Pokémon Center, Kyra said, "What do you think she meant when she said Misya needed to grow up? Misya's still really young! It'll take years for her to continue to mature!"

"For her age, she is actually more mature than one would expect," Tenga stated. "Still, I am not sure as to what Rasha meant."

"I don't know either," Grisom said with a shrug. "Misya seemed to take it pretty hard though."

"I hope she's all right," Kyra murmured.

When they arrived at the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy told them that Misya had indeed been there, but had left once her Pokémon were healed. "Sorry I can't be of more help."

"Thanks anyway," Grisom replied. He directed to Kyra and Tenga, "Where should we look now?"

"Could you get Aves to find her?" Tenga suggested.

"Sure, that'd probably be quickest." Once they exited the Pokémon Center, Grisom brought out Aves. "Find Misya, and show us where she is." Aves obediently flew away.

They did not have to wait for long. Aves swiftly returned and led them to a section just outside of town, where Misya was sitting on a rock ledge with Hama and Shen beside her. Grisom recalled Aves, and they slowly approached her.

"I'm sorry," Misya was saying to Hama and Shen. "I shouldn't have made you two battle. It was pretty clear we couldn't win."

Hama rubbed against her cheek in a reassuring way, while Shen stared into the distance. Misya said, "Thanks, Hama." Then she said to Shen, "Why didn't you come back when I told you to?"

"He didn't want to lose," Tenga said. Misya turned to them with a surprised expression as Tenga continued, "Shen encountered a higher version of his own species, and he was badly beaten. Giving up would have hurt his pride."

"Kind of odd, seeing as Shen is usually lazy, but who knows," Grisom remarked.

"Misya, are you all right?" Kyra asked in concern.

"Yes, thanks." Misya closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for not being able to win."

"None of us could have done any better," Tenga assured her. "She was way too advanced for us."

"That gym must have been one of the last ones we were supposed to face," Grisom mused.

"We'll come back later," Kyra said to Misya. "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks." Misya paused, and then hesitatingly said, "Do you mind if we don't talk about what Rasha said?"

"If you don't want to, that's fine with me," Kyra answered. "But if you ever do want to tell us, do so. We're your friends, and we'll listen to your problems."

"That's right," Tenga said. Grisom nodded.

"I'm lucky to be with you guys," Misya said with a smile. She got up and said in a light-hearted voice, "It's almost nighttime. How about we stay in the Pokémon Center now?"

"I'm all for that," Kyra replied. She put a hand to her stomach as she remarked, "And am I ever hungry!"

"We could all use some food," Grisom stated. "Let's head over there."

The group of them headed for the Pokémon Center. Shen remained on the rock a moment longer, staring at the darkening sky, and then slowly slithered after Misya.

To be continued…


	23. Ruins At the Safari Zone

Talk about making up for lost time.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Ruins At the Safari Zone**

Though the Pokémon Center was small, there was no issue with having enough room, for they were the only ones there other than Nurse Joy and her Chansey assistant. The pool for Water Pokémon was luckily large enough to hold Betta, the Feebas, and Shen, though it was a tight fit. They put out food for their Pokémon before beginning to eat as well.

"Tenga, Tsu isn't eating that much," Misya said in concern, watching Tsu nibble at his food. "Do you think he's all right?"

"If he did just eat an entire mountain, he probably won't be hungry again for a long time," Tenga replied.

"Good point," Kyra said, blinking. "I'm glad my Eevees don't eat much." Ammy, hearing this, pretended to take a large bite out of her food. Kyra sighed. "Very funny."

"I'm glad my Pokémon don't seem to have any problems," Misya said. "I was worried after they got hurt in the gym fight, but they seem okay."

"You can trust the Pokémon Centers to do their job well," Grisom stated. "You'd have to be on Death's doorstep to not be guaranteed a good recovery."

Ilya was speaking to Kazul on another bench. The two often laughed while speaking. Seeing this, Kyra said, "It looks like they're really getting along."

"Both Ilya and Kazul are especially bright for Pokémon," Tenga commented. "So it really isn't a surprise that they'd be friends."

When they finished eating and saying their good nights, they went to separate rooms to go to bed. Everyone but Misya fell asleep quickly; she took a long time due to the thoughts running through her head.

…

"_No condition change in the patient, sir."_

"_As expected._ _Keep checking her at this time."_

"_Understood._ _It is a depressing task though."_

A blast of sunlight caught Kyra across the face. She hurriedly sat up and saw that Ammy had just opened the curtains concealing her window by standing on her rear paws. When she saw Kyra was awake, she gave a soft, apologetic bark.

"It's okay, I know how much you love the sunlight." Kyra rose, her three Eevees sleepily following her, and helped Ammy to open the curtains completely. She smiled at the warmth that spread through her body. "It's a beautiful day. We've been lucky, getting so many days like this."

Ammy whined happily while Ilya and Mary wagged their tails. Tsuku stared at it for a moment before walking away from the window with an unimpressed expression.

"I guess you don't really care for sunlight much," Kyra reasoned. Tsuku merely snorted and pawed at the door, which Kyra opened so they could head to the lobby.

"Morning, kiddo," Grisom greeted as she entered. Tenga was also there, pouring food into a bowl in front of Ranma.

"Good morning. Where's Misya?" Kyra asked.

"Right here," Misya said, yawning while walking in. "Sorry, I was really tired."

"That's all right, it's not like we're in a rush to get anywhere," Kyra pointed out. Shen yawned, seeming to be in full agreement.

"Fair enough. So where are we headed to now?" Misya inquired, dishing out food for her Pokémon.

"Amethyst City is the nearest location to us with a gym," Grisom said. "We could go to Opal City, but the gym leader there is said to be the toughest of them all, so we should wait until later to try that one."

"Sure," Kyra agreed. "How long will it take us to reach Amethyst City?"

"If we walk straight there, roughly three days," Grisom answered. "We have to go past the Safari Zone and through a marsh."

"What's the Safari Zone?" Misya said.

"It's a park where you can catch all types of Pokémon," Tenga informed her. "You aren't allowed to battle them, but you can use foods and rocks to attempt to either persuade them to stay in the Safari Ball or weaken them to be caught."

"Rocks? That's pretty mean," Misya muttered. "Are we going to stop by there?"

"I don't see any reason to. We're doing pretty well with capturing Pokémon we find in the wild," Grisom pointed out. "Maybe for a brief look and that's it."

"Okay," Misya said. She picked up the bowls her Pokémon had eaten out of. "Shall we get going?"

Kyra nodded. "Let's." She recalled everyone but Ilya, who perched on her shoulder. Tenga left out Kazul and Tsu again, while Misya kept out Hama as usual. After thanking Nurse Joy for letting them stay, they left the Pokémon Center and headed out of town.

The wilderness they entered was similar to what they had seen in Dragon's Home, being rocky terrain with mountains around them. They continued until seeing something that made them halt in their tracks.

Before them was a cliff. When they looked over the edge, they saw several craters below, along with scorched and charred sections of the land. It seemed to make a path leading away from the cliff.

"What's this?" Misya asked as Hama hovered down to see it better. "It looks like a battle field."

"At one time, it was," Grisom replied. "I'll explain more when we come into sight of the Battle Tower."

"Battle Tower?" Kyra said.

"It's a place where trainers would go through several matches with only three Pokémon," Grisom explained. "If you won enough battles, you would face leaders in there, called Tower Tycoons. It was a very difficult challenge."

"Sounds like it," Misya agreed. "But you're making it sound like it doesn't happen anymore."

"You'll see why," Grisom said.

After they made their way down the steep path, Grisom led them the same direction that the craters were. They continued walking as the dirt became grass, the terrain changing swiftly despite the occasional crater they saw. Soon they came to a large hill, which they walked up. When they got to the top, they saw, a large distance away, a path leading to a building, along with a fence bordering the path. Beyond the building laid ruins, giant crumbling ruins that had obviously once been a tower.

"Was that Battle Tower?" Kyra asked in awe.

"It was, until the Voltorb War," Tenga stated. Kazul and Tsu looked up at him curiously.

"The Voltorb War?" Misya said.

"Voltorbs are Pokémon that look like large versions of Poké Balls," Grisom said. "They're known for Selfdestructing and Exploding. Several years ago, a group of heroes attempted to stop a plan made by Team Evolt. Team Evolt wanted to take over the Battle Tower, but the heroes used the Voltorbs in this area to launch an attack. They had their Pokémon help to throw the Voltorbs at the enemy. In the process, several hit the Battle Tower, and their Pokémon's attacks hit it too. It resulted in the whole place being destroyed."

"And they never rebuilt it?" Kyra assumed.

"Yeah, they never got around to it," Tenga said.

"Sounds like a pretty dangerous occurrence," Misya remarked.

"It's one of the most major battles in this continent's history, if not the most major," Tenga told them.

"That doesn't surprise me," Kyra said. Ilya nodded, appearing highly interested in the history lesson.

Grisom gestured to the path and the building. "The Safari Zone was built around the Battle Tower, and it's still there to this day. The paths can be used to bypass it or visit the ruins. The Safari Zone is divided into four parts, with bridges connecting them that go over the paths. We should take the paths to get through quickly. That'll require entering that building and taking the central door inside; two others will be there, but they lead to the Safari Zone areas."

"That would be best to get to Amethyst City," Tenga concurred, heading towards the building. Still gazing at the ruins of the Battle Tower, the others went as well.

When they entered, they saw a counter with a man behind it. A teenager was standing in front of them. He had black shirt with a blue and white design that resembled a web, along with beige cargo pants. His short hair was a mix of black and red, and he had a pair of red-orange shades on. At the moment, he was arguing fiercely with the man behind the desk.

"Can't you see that I'm not interested in the Safari Zone? Team Rocket's here, and I only came to get rid of them!" the boy shouted. "Please let me in!"

"You're just using that as an excuse to get into the Safari Zone for free!" the man retorted. "Pay the cash or you're not getting in!"

Grisom went up to them and cut in. "What's going on here?"

"I saw Team Rocket sneak into the Safari Zone!" the boy exclaimed. "But this guy won't believe me!"

"Why should I believe him? His theory is ridiculous!" the man protested.

"What if he's telling the truth though?" Kyra said. "Team Rocket is a dangerous group!"

"Team Rocket was torn apart several years ago, so it doesn't matter what he says!" the man said triumphantly.

"While they did, Team Remnant exists, and they use all of the previous criminal teams, including Team Rocket," Tenga pointed out. "It could very possibly be true. Why don't you let us go with this person to check and see if they are there? We could leave our empty Poké Balls here so that we'd have no way of catching Pokémon."

The man considered it for a long moment, and then reluctantly nodded. "All right. Leave all of your Poké Balls here and I'll allow it."

Everyone quickly brought out their Poké Balls and handed it to the man, who set them behind the counter. He unlocked the door to the far left of the room. "You can enter area one through here. Come back to claim your Poké Balls when you're done."

"Thank you," Misya said as they left.

When they were outside, Grisom asked, "Where did you see these Team Rocket members go?"

"I can track them down with a Pokémon of mine," the boy assured. He tossed a Poké Ball. "Aerodactyl, find Team Rocket!"

A large pterodactyl with a dinosaur-like head appeared. It was gray with purple wings, and had razor-sharp teeth that it bared. Taking flight, the creature began to search from the skies for the Team Rocket members.

"Aerodactyls are pretty rare," Tenga remarked as they followed it. "How did you get that one?"

"Team Rocket resurrected him with Old Amber, but they were treating him cruelly," the boy recalled. "I offered to let him come with me, and he did."

"You seem to really hate Team Rocket," Misya noted.

"I come from the Johto region, and they had a big influence on the people there," the boy explained. "My parents died because of one of Team Rocket's schemes, and I've hated them ever since. I won eight badges in the Johto region so I could travel the world; lots of ships will let you on for free when you've got eight of a region's badges. From then on, I've been trying to foil Team Rocket's plans."

"You sound like a pretty good trainer," Grisom said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sovice," he replied. "What about you guys?"

"I'm Kyra, and they are Misya, Grisom, and Tenga," Kyra introduced. "We're traveling to collect Lemuria's badges, while trying to figure out why wild Pokémon are going insane. We also want to stop Team Remnant from whatever they're planning."

"Sounds like good goals to me," Sovice said. He looked up, and saw his Aerodactyl was circling above a section of the Safari Zone. "I think he's found something! Let's get over there!"

As they ran towards him, Kazul broke away for a moment. She returned carrying a disk. "Good find, Kazul," Tenga said as he took it from her. "TM35, Flamethrower. We can decide what to do with it later. Here, Misya." She stored it with the other TMs.

When they arrived at the place the Aerodactyl was indicating to, they saw five Team Rocket members, all of them male. They were near a pond, with grassy terrain surrounding it. On the grass were several kangaroos, babies in their pouches. They were all trapped in a steel net. One of the Rockets was attempting to attach the net to what looked like a miniature airplane, but a blue flash kept hitting him when he tried.

"You little pest! Get out of here before I get a fly swatter!" the Rocket snapped.

The Pokémon stopped in front of him and rubbed its two front legs together. It looked like a spider with only four long legs and a small, round body. Its cheeks were pink, and there was a yellow cap that looked like an acorn's cap on top of its head.

"Those are Kangaskhan. They're rare Pokémon, so rare that many consider them endangered," Tenga said in concern.

"What about that one fighting them?" Misya asked.

"It's Surskit, a Bug and Water type," Grisom answered. "This one looks pretty feisty."

"We have to help those Kangaskhan!" Kyra said. "Ilya, get them!"

"Kazul, Tsu, let's go!" Tenga commanded.

Grisom threw a Poké Ball. "Aves, help them out!"

"Leena, I choose you!" Misya called.

Sovice twirled a Poké Ball in his hand before throwing it. "Typhlosion, destroy them!" A larger version of Quilava that stood on its hind legs and had a collar of fire appeared. It roared at the Team Rocket members.

"What's this, some ecological protestors?" a member sneered. "Come on boys, let's show them how we really battle! Go, Voltorb!"

The Voltorb came out in front of Tenga. Looking thoughtful, he picked it up and said, "Let's try this. Tsuchiga."

At that word, the Voltorb's eyes widened, and it began to glow. Tenga threw it to the Team Rocket member, and it exploded in his face. He fell over, severely injured.

"I told him using a Voltorb was a bad idea!" another member said. He raised his arm. "This one will do a lot better!"

"Leena, Stun Spore!" Misya ordered. The Oddish sprinkled all of the Team Rocket members with powder, and they froze in place from it. The Surskit blinked at what had happened and gave Misya an interested look.

By this time, Ilya, Kazul, and Tsu had undone the net to let the Kangaskhan out. They called out to Aves and the Aerodactyl, who flew down and picked up the net together. Flying over the Team Rocket members, they dropped the net on them, capturing them at once.

"Hey! You can't do that!" a member cried.

"Typhlosion, persuade them to give up," Sovice said with a grin. The Typhlosion grabbed the edge of the net and dragged it to the pond's edge, where he promptly dumped it into the water. Gurgling noises came from it, and then the Typhlosion hauled it out, revealing several soaked Team Rocket members.

"W-we surrender! Just call off that Typhlosion!" one pleaded.

"Fine, I'll let you live, not like you goons deserve it," Sovice said. He turned to the group and said, "I'll get these idiots to the nearest police station. You can all go ahead on your journey."

"Thanks, we'd appreciate that," Tenga responded while the others recalled their Pokémon. "We should go back to the building to get our Poké Balls."

"I should be the one thanking you guys, for helping me stop Team Rocket," Sovice stated. "I hope we can see each other again someday."

"That would be nice," Kyra agreed.

As they started to leave, a chorus of cheering came from the Kangaskhan. They cheered two more times before walking away, and the enthused group started towards the building.

"You guys were pretty smart to think up that net strategy," Kyra said to Ilya. She wagged her tail at the compliment.

"Using your enemy's strength against them is usually a good strategy," Tenga remarked. "I didn't expect Tsu to help think of that idea though. Sure, I knew Kazul was smart, but all I knew about Tsu was that he was energetic."

"Speaking of Kazul, shouldn't you give her that TM she found?" Misya suggested. "I think it's fair that she gets it."

"What do you think?" Tenga directed to Kazul. She smiled in response. "Okay then." Misya handed him the TM and he put it up to Kazul's head. It shortly vanished, and Kazul demonstrated her new technique by blowing a line of fire straight into the air. A large tree limb burned off and fell down, hitting Hama on the head. She glared at Kazul and spat several insults at her while the dragon laughed.

When they arrived at the building, Grisom said to the man, "There were five Team Rocket members. Sovice is turning them in to the police. We'd like to leave via the path now. Can we have our Poké Balls back?"

"Sure thing!" He handed them each their Poké Balls, and brought out a disk. "I was wrong to doubt all of you, so I have a reward for your group and one for Sovice, when he returns. This TM was found a while ago, lost by a trainer who came to the Safari Zone. It's TM75, Swords Dance. Want it?"

"Thank you very much!" Misya said as she stored it away.

"We were happy to help," Kyra added. "Thanks for letting us in."

"Good luck on your journey, wherever you go!" the man said as they left.

The path that led to the ruins of the tower had fences surrounding it. As they walked, they saw several Pokémon in the Safari Zone. Starlys flew left and right, while pink and light blue rabbits that Tenga identified as Nidorans ran around playfully. Groups of eggs Grisom called Exeggcutes were also common, as were grey, armored Pokémon called Rhyhorns, and Skorupi that ran with their stingers up.

"It's really amazing, getting to see all of these types of Pokémon in one place," Misya said.

"Believe me, it's infuriating to try to catch them," Grisom groaned. "I'll never forget the pain of trying to get a Scyther here. Oh, the pain!"

"Poor you," Kyra sighed.

They were nearly at the ruins when a squeaking noise came from behind them. They turned to see the Surskit there, staring up at them.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" Misya asked.

The Surskit pointed at itself, and then Misya, and made a 'bring it on' motion.

"I think it wants to battle you," Grisom said. "Who knows why."

"Maybe it wants to see if you're a worthy trainer," Tenga suggested. "You did command Leena well, and the Surskit might have been impressed by that. If you can beat it in a battle, it probably wouldn't mind joining you."

The Surskit nodded and hopped up and down. Smiling, Misya said, "Then I'll accept your challenge!" She hurled a Poké Ball. "Leena, go!"

Leena leapt out and faced the Surskit determinedly. "Leena, Stun Spore!" Shaking her leaves, Leena tried to paralyze the Surskit, but it dodged swiftly and hit Leena with a quick, hard blow.

"That was Quick Attack, but I think we can stop it from trying that again!" Misya said. "Leena, Sweet Scent!" This time when Leena shook her leaves, an enthralling scent came from it. The Surskit stopped moving and looked blissful. It got a rude awakening when Misya yelled, "Now use Acid!" The acid struck the Surskit in the face, and it squealed.

"Now it's weak enough! Time for a Poké Ball!" Misya threw one at the Surskit, and it vanished in a red blaze. The ball shook, once, twice, thrice, and then went still. With a large smile, Misya walked over and picked it up. "My sixth Pokémon!"

"Good job, Misya!" Kyra congratulated.

"You're getting a lot better at catching them," Tenga complimented.

"I don't know how you managed to pull that off without tripping," Grisom teased.

Misya gave him a short glare before patting Leena on the head. "You did well, Leena. Thanks to you, we have a new friend!" She released the Surskit from her Poké Ball, and it bounced in place eagerly. "You're a girl? Then I'll call you Skits."

"How original," Grisom muttered. Skits glared and blew a bunch of bubbles at him, which he had to hurriedly dodge.

"You're all way ahead of me," Kyra said sheepishly. "I only have four Pokémon."

"Quality over quantity," Misya reminded her.

Kyra nodded, looking happier. "Right!" Ilya barked in agreement.

"How about you call back your water bug and we move on?" Grisom said. He lunged out of the way of another Bubble attack before Misya recalled her, laughing at the sight of him sprawled on the ground. Muttering to himself, he headed for the tower ruins, with everyone else close at his side.

To be continued…


	24. Experiments of Team Remnant

Happy New Year everyone! I made a resolution to upload at least one fanfic chapter a week. So here's the first, and many more should follow soon!

***Chapter Twenty-Four: Experiments of Team Remnant***

The tower ruins were a depressing sight. Not a single trait remained to show that this area had once been highly populated. Rubble lay scattered everywhere, with only the tower base standing upright. Scorch marks scarred the land in many locations.

"This really does look like a war zone," Kyra said. Ilya wrinkled her nose at the sight.

"Good thing we aren't staying too long," Misya said with a small frown. "I don't like this place at all."

"I'm looking less forward to traveling through the marsh," Grisom stated. "But it can't be helped. Let's keep moving."

The rest of the trip across the grasslands remained uneventful, with them only spotting a handful of wild Pokémon along the way, all of which fled from the trainers. Merely an hour later, they reached the edge of the marsh, where the ground became damp and caused their feet to begin sinking.

"This doesn't seem too bad so far," Kyra commented.

"Speak for yourself," Misya said, grimacing as she glanced at her shoes, now caked with mud.

"Get used to it. We'll be in here at least two more days, most likely," Grisom brought up. Misya sighed at hearing that.

Kazul seemed to be doing fine, but Tsu could barely make any progress at all, looking physically pained by the watery lands. Tenga, noticing this, lifted him slowly. "You're pretty heavy."

Grisom stared at him. "Most Larvitars weigh around 160 pounds. It's amazing you can even lift him."

"Genes," Tenga said with a shrug. He continued walking before Grisom could ask what he meant.

Their original problems were minor though when the fog came in. Faint traces had existed previously, but now it blanketed the land, completely blinding them. They could barely see each other through the thickness of it.

"How are we going to get through this intact? We won't even be able to see any attackers before they're a foot away!" Misya exclaimed. Hama snorted in agreement.

"Not much we can do about it," Tenga said. "Without a Defog HM, we're going to have to continue like this."

"That makes me feel a lot better," Misya grumbled. "Really, the only way this could get more perfect is if we-"

The rest of her words were cut off by a brutal smacking noise and a yelp of pain. "Ow! I just ran into something!"

"Gotta watch out for those trees. They're out to get walking disasters like you," Grisom teased.

"It can't have been a tree," Tenga said with a frown. "Trees appear in swamps, not marshes." He walked next to Misya and placed his hands on what she ran into. "It's some sort of wall."

"A building, in the middle of this place?" Kyra said incredulously.

"It does seem suspicious," Tenga remarked. "Should we investigate?"

"No reason not to," Grisom said. "The only thing we'd be delaying is stumbling around more in this fog."

"If we can put that off, I'm all for going inside," Misya announced.

"All right. Let's be careful though. I've got a bad feeling about this," Kyra said. Ilya barked in agreement.

It took several minutes of searching for them to come across the front door. When they finally did, Grisom cautiously opened it and looked inside first. "Coast is clear." He slipped in with everyone else following. Tenga set down Tsu and rubbed his arms a bit while they looked around.

The small room they had entered had a tile floor and white walls. The only thing they could see were two doors with a sign next to one of them. It said, "Welcome to the Team Remnant Laboratory. Please put on your lab coats before proceeding into the experimental rooms."

The group stared at the sign for a long moment before Misya said, "Are they seriously that dumb?"

"Let's find out," Grisom said. He approached the door ahead of them, but stopped short of opening it. "I can hear someone talking…" He put his ear to the door, trying to make out their words. The others joined him to listen.

"Okay, who was the idiot that put up that sign _again_?" asked the first, male voice.

"Probably a Team Rocket goon. I hate working with those losers," said a female in response.

A third person, this one male, responded. "Nah, it was a guy from Team Aqua. He's done it before."

"I'll threaten to fire him if he does it again," the first stated.

They shifted away from the door and glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. Kyra broke the silence by saying, "Let's not go that way."

"No need to announce our presence yet," Grisom agreed. He listened through the other door. "I don't think anyone is behind here."

Beyond the door was an empty hallway. Two doors were to the left, one was straight ahead, and a staircase was to their right. Misya asked the question on everyone's mind. "Which way first?"

"May as well go in order." Grisom checked the first door before opening it. It revealed a room with a metal table, counters with empty vials, and a strange machine in a corner. A rack of white lab coats was on the other wall.

"I guess it really is a laboratory," Kyra said. "But what kind of research are they doing?"

Tenga shrugged. "It's hard to tell just by looking at this room."

Grisom approached the counter. "Hm? What's this?" He picked up a rock that they had failed to notice until now.

"Their diabolical plan is to do experiments on rocks?" Misya said, unimpressed.

"Not quite." Grisom turned it over to show what looked like a bone imprinted in it. "This is a fossil."

"A Pokémon fossil?" Kyra asked. "Are those rare?"

"To some extent. This is a Skull Fossil, which isn't among the rarest, but you have to go to certain areas to dig them up." Grisom put it into his bag. "I know someone who might be interested in it, so I'll take it along."

"Better than letting these creeps have it," Misya said with Kyra nodding.

"Let's check the next room," Tenga suggested. "They might have more in there."

When they approached the adjacent door, Ilya's ears stood up and she ran forward. They approached to try and understand what she heard. From behind the door, they could barely make out a faint crying. Before anyone could protest, Kyra flung it open.

This room looked identical to the previous one, except for one difference. On the table was a small cage that held an Eevee inside. It was curled in a ball and whimpering softly.

"Oh!" Kyra ran inside with Ilya close at her heels. Ilya leapt onto the table as Kyra looked more closely at the Eevee. "Oh, you poor thing!" she said in a softer tone, afraid of alarming it.

The Eevee's head shot up, and it slowly crawled away from her. Ilya pressed her nose against the cage bars and began to make quiet, reassuring noises.

"Those bastards," Grisom growled. "This is what I was afraid of finding."

"I knew they were bad news, but I didn't think they'd be experimenting on live Pokémon," Misya said in disgust. Hama spun around her while muttering angrily.

"Never underestimate how low these people will sink." Tenga's expression was flat, but his voice, despite being mostly calm, showed an extent of his fury. "If you can even call them people."

Kyra tried to coax the Eevee to come closer. "It's okay, we're here to help. You won't be hurt anymore." It remained on the other side of the cage despite her words. "Ilya, can you tell this Eevee we don't mean harm?"

Ilya continued to make her soft noises, her tail slowly moving from side to side. Hama, Kazul, and Tsu remained silent while watching her work. At long last, the Eevee began to approach Ilya. It hesitated before pressing its nose against hers.

"Awww," Misya murmured. "I can see why Kyra loves them so much."

"Good boy," Kyra said softly. She rethought her statement. "…I hope you're a boy, or else that'll sound like an insult." Catching Ilya's nod towards her, Kyra continued to speak to him. "Yes, there's a good boy. I'm going to let you out now, okay? I'm not going to hurt you."

The Eevee watched warily as she reached towards the lock. It was a simple one that did not need a key or combination; she was able to undo it quickly and open the cage door. "You're free now. Can you come here? I want to show you I don't mean harm."

"No doubt on who's keeping this one," Misya said as the Eevee inched his way into Kyra's arms. Kyra lifted him and began to stroke him softly.

"Of course not. Every wild Eevee we come across will wind up with her somehow," Grisom stated. "I pity anyone who tries to catch an Eevee when she's nearby."

"It's a good thing in this case," Tenga said. "It would be dangerous to release this Eevee into the wild. He's too frightened to take care of himself."

Kyra returned to them with the new Eevee in her arms and Ilya at her heels. "I'll call him Florian."

"At least something good came out of coming here," Misya said.

"What, me getting a fossil wasn't good?" Grisom smirked at her disapproving expression. "Kidding."

"We should check any other rooms in this place," Tenga said. "If there are any other Pokémon being experimented on in here…"

"If there are, we'll save them," Misya declared. "Let's keep looking."

The last door they went towards had voices coming from it. Since they were too faint to hear, Grisom carefully cracked the door and peeked inside. He opened it a bit wider when he saw that the two people there had their backs to the door. Everyone could now hear their conversation.

"We're making no progress from this location," one of the women was saying. "There aren't enough Pokémon around here to bring in for experimentation. We could get them from further out, but it would be difficult to bring them here."

"Secrecy is the most important factor," the other woman stated. "Even if it takes a while, we'll be better off remaining here."

"I guess so. At least we have that Eevee to work on." Florian shrank into Kyra's arms at her words. "But one Pokémon can only last us so long."

"We could ask the other members to donate test subjects."

"Out of the question. They'd never agree. Would you, if you were asked to?"

"No… You're right, it won't work."

Misya clasped a hand over her mouth to hide her alarm. The rest of the group quickly saw what she was looking at. Hama had gone through the door to appear behind the two women. Below her was a table with several papers on it. Amongst them, a disc gleamed from the florescent lighting. She scooped it up in her mouth and silently floated back to the group. Grisom closed the door behind her.

"That was incredibly risky, Hama!" Misya forced herself to keep her voice low and to smile. "I'm glad it went without incident."

Tenga took the disc from her as Kazul congratulated the other Pokémon on her nefarious deed. "HM08, Defog. Once we get the appropriate badge, we can use this to navigate areas like this marsh more quickly."

Upon hearing that, Misya hugged Hama, who looked incredibly pleased. "Getting through this place quicker? You're amazing, Hama."

"We're lucky," Kyra said. "They said there aren't any other Pokémon here, so we can leave now."

"So soon? There might be other treasures to pick up," Grisom pointed out. "How about we just take a quick look upstairs?"

"All right, as long as we're careful," Misya agreed.

The stairs led to a large room with four doors on the opposite wall. More lab coats were hung from the other walls. Four tables were present, as were vials that had liquid instead of being empty like the previous ones. A few of them had tools scattered, but none appeared to have been used recently. The ceiling was made of glass, making it possible to see the bright sky despite some lingering fog above it.

There was no time to make any comments before one of the doors opened, revealing a man wearing a lab coat. His short, black hair had an abandoned look to it, as did his beard. His blue eyes were alert though, and they fixed on the group immediately.

"Well, well, what do we have here? I never thought outsiders would find this place so soon," he said.

Florian squeaked in fear and cowered against Kyra. Seeing his reaction, Grisom asked the man, "Are you in charge of this facility?"

"Of course. I, Professor Vance Adelgid, am one of Team Renmant's top scientists," he said. "The fact that you are up here means you know far too much. I'll have to dispose of you."

Grisom stared at him. "I can't believe you just said that with a straight face. Do you really think you can beat us?"

"I'm not in this position for only my intelligence," Adelgid stated. "I am also a great battler." He tossed out two Poké Balls. From the first one emerged a blue creature with large, red flower petals that had white spots. The other released a brown Pokémon with short arms, long, white, springy legs, and clawed feet.

Tenga stopped Grisom as he reached for his own Poké Balls. "It's all right. I can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Misya asked.

"Even though Vileplume and Hitmonlee are advanced Pokémon, I have an advantage for this fight." Tenga tossed out two balls of his own to release Hinata and Neji. They both appeared ready for battle.

Adelgid laughed shortly. "Oh please. You can't be seriously challenging me with two Ralts. Even if they are Psychic types, they simply aren't strong enough."

"If you truly were intelligent, you wouldn't be underestimating them," Tenga said, arms crossed.

"Then I'll have to show you the flaws in your strategy. Hitmonlee, Mega Kick! Vileplume, Mega Drain!"

"Neji, Teleport! Hinata, Light Screen!" Tenga commanded.

When the Hitmonlee attempted to deliver his kick, he found himself hitting thin air. Neji appeared beside him in a flash. But before he could make a counter attack, the Hitmonlee hopped to his other foot to kick again. Neji was forced to teleport again. No matter where he appeared, the Hitmonlee was ready to continue the assault. Neji continued to dodge with little hope of getting a chance to hit back.

Hinata was in a bad situation as well. Even though she put up a yellow screen to take the brunt of Vileplume's attacks, she kept staggering back from each hit. Her concentration had to be focused on the barrier, giving her no chance to respond to her enemy's attacks. Eventually, the screen faded, leaving her exposed.

"I didn't expect them to be that fast," Tenga muttered. "At this rate…"

"This is getting boring," Adelgid said. "Hitmonlee, get your act together and hit him! Vileplume, use Solarbeam!"

While Hitmonlee continued the same antics as before, Vileplume began to concentrate. Sunlight began to come through the glass ceiling and enter the center of its flower.

"Bookstore, Hinata isn't going to be able to handle that!" Grisom said.

"You'd be amazed at what Hinata can do," Tenga said, his faith unwavering. "And Neji. I trust their abilities for this. Hinata, get ready to set up another Light Screen! Neji, stop using Teleport, it's taking up too much energy! Dodge on your own instead!"

His Ralts glanced at him and seemed heartened by his words. At the same time, they began to glow white.

"Huh? What's happening to them?" Misya said in alarm.

"No! It can't be!" Adelgid exclaimed.

The glow vanished to reveal that Neji and Hinata were taller than before. Neji had a white body that formed into what looked like a tutu. Combined with his slender, green legs, and his green head being shaped similar to hair with two red spikes that resembled ribbons, it was odd to think that he was still a male. Hinata looked identical, except that Neji's green parts were colored blue instead.

"They've both become Kirlia," Grisom said, his expression showing how startled he was. "Their second stage was reached at the same time. How's that for a coincidence?"

"It's not that surprising. I raised them equally." Tenga was clearly pleased at his Pokémon evolving. "This shouldn't take long now."

The Hitmonlee attempted to land a kick on Neji, but instead of teleporting, he danced gracefully aside. Now clearly frustrated, the Hitmonlee kept attempting to hit him and missed every time. His red eyes began to glow, and as he leapt over the last kick Hitmonlee attempted, an enormous blast of psychic energy caught his opponent directly. The Hitmonlee crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap.

At the same time, the Vileplume fired the Solarbeam it had been preparing. Hinata pulled up another screen. This one shined with power, and when the Solarbeam hit it, the beam was reflected directly at the Vileplume. It was slammed into a table with its own power and was unable to rise.

"Blast it! I didn't expect them to evolve…" Adelgid growled as he recalled his Pokémon. "You have me at the disadvantage, so I will retreat for now. But you will see me again, I assure you!" He fled back through the door that he had entered from previously.

Neji and Hinata remained where they were as Tenga came over to them and stroked their heads. "You both did a wonderful job." Neji looked proud while Hinata blushed.

"I don't understand," Misya said from further back. "I've seen Light Screen be used before, but it never reflected an attack. Is Hinata really that strong?"

"Light Screen usually only weakens special attacks," Tenga explained without looking away from his partners. "However, when a Pokémon evolves, they get a temporary burst of energy. It allows them to use attacks in ways they usually could not."

"So that's why Ammy accidentally knocked me over," Kyra realized.

"Since she had just evolved, she had a hard time controlling herself," Grisom said. "It doesn't last too long, so I doubt Hinata will be reflecting anything else like that."

"She'll still be stronger though," Tenga said. He held out his Poké Balls so that they could rest for a while.

"Let's see where that scientist thought he was going," Grisom suggested. "From this floor, I'd think it's a dead end, but maybe I'm wrong."

It seemed he was, for when they entered what appeared to be a bedroom, there was no sign of Adelgid. They searched for a door he could have used to escape with no luck.

"We're not about to catch him now," Kyra said with a sigh. She perked up at seeing Ilya walk over with a disc in her mouth. "At least you found something."

"TM04, Calm Mind," Tenga said as he examined it. He handed it to Misya, who shrugged and stored it with the others she had.

Kyra flipped open her Pokétech to look up the new technique. Seeing that it helped raise special attack and defense, she asked Tenga, "Wouldn't that be good for Hinata?"

"She'll learn it naturally, as will Neji. It'd be better to save it for someone else," Tenga said.

"Ah. I wasn't aware." Kyra gestured to the door. "I guess we should leave. There's nothing else to do here."

"Sounds good to me," Grisom said.

As they stepped out, Tenga looked around, frowning. "Where did Kazul go?" The group looked at his side to see that only Tsu was next to him.

Grisom indicated to another door that was ajar. "I'd say she went there."

They checked inside to see that he was right. This room appeared more casual than Adelgid's. It had papers scattered around, a television, and a microwave. Kazel was currently storing what looked like a large piece of metal, covered in a slick fluid, inside the microwave. She closed it and took a piece of paper from the desk that had, in bad handwriting, "Please press start" on it and placed it next to the microwave. She then walked over to Tenga while snickering.

"I didn't know she could write," Misya remarked.

"I think whoever owns this room wrote it for his own benefit. Even if she could write, her handwriting wouldn't be that bad," Tenga said.

"Well, surely nothing can go wrong with this," Grisom said in a surprisingly cheerful voice. "How about we get out of here before someone comes along?"

They took his advice by heading downstairs. Ilya's fur stood up as they came down. She darted into the room they had found Florian in. The group barely had time to follow and close the door before they heard someone walking down the hallway while whistling.

"Come on Koffing, it's lunch time!" said the third male grunt they had heard upon first entering. The whistling grew fainter.

"…Okay, forget being subtle. We're getting out now," Grisom said before running out of the door.

By the time the rest had caught up with him, he was outside again. He only waited for them to catch up so the fog would not pose a problem before taking off again. As they followed, Misya managed to gasp out, "What's the problem?"

"Metal in a microwave is one thing, even with chemicals. But if that guy has a Koffing, a Pokémon that continuously releases toxic gasses-"  
The rest of his explanation proved to be unnecessary as an explosion sounded behind them. Kazul continued to laugh to herself as everyone else stared in the direction it had come from.

"I can't say they didn't deserve it," Misya stated.

"Indeed. Well, we've had our fun. We should keep heading towards Amethyst City," Grisom said. Nobody disagreed with that, so they continued forward.

To be continued…


	25. Small Treasures

So far, so good. Updating evenly shouldn't be an issue.

***Chapter 25: Small Treasures***

Though they were pleased with their success over Team Remnant, the rest of the day was a let down. They stumbled through the foggy marsh with no sense of where to go. Grisom tried having Aves scout the area, but he appeared as lost as they were despite his wings. When night came, they set up a small camp, but barely got any sleep from the wet ground and dreary atmosphere.

The next morning, Tenga recalled Kazul and Tsu to let Ranma out for a while. He perched on Tenga's shoulder and hopped from foot to foot happily, not seeming to mind where they were. Ilya got recalled as well. Kyra left Florian out, reasoning that being kept in a Poké Ball this soon would only make him feel worse after being captive so long. Hama remained by Misya, and Grisom had not called any of his Pokémon after Aves.

"This has got to be the worst area in the entire region!" Misya complained as they continued slogging forward. "Why did we want to come here again?"

"Well, it's only for two days, right?" Kyra looked at Grisom hopefully.

He shook his head. "That's what I thought until we had no idea of which way it was. Bookstore, I doubt you have one since you didn't take it out yet, but do you have a map?"

"I should have packed one, but I didn't," Tenga confirmed. "When we arrive in the next town, perhaps we should pick one up."

"It couldn't hurt," Kyra agreed. "Let's just hope we can find a town."

"Don't say it like that!" Misya groaned. She began tapping the bell charm around her arm. Its chiming took her mind off of the horrible thought of remaining in the marsh forever.

Ranma began to chirp and jump up and down. Tenga gave him a surprised look before saying, "He's right. The fog is getting thinner."

"Really?" Misya glanced around. "It is! We're almost out! Thank goodness!"

"But that means we haven't found Amethyst City," Grisom said. "It would be in the heavier fog."

"If we can find another place nearby, let's get a map and come back," Kyra suggested. "Aves should be able to find a town now, right?"

"I don't see why not." Grisom tossed Aves' ball to release him. The Staravia flew off at once.

"We may as well leave this area completely," Tenga stated.

"Yeah, we technically are still in the marsh," Misya said. "Let's keep going!"

By the time they had left the foggy area completely, Aves had come back to circle overhead. Once he was sure they saw him, Aves began to slowly fly away.

"He's found something," Grisom said. "Follow him."

It did not take long to find what Aves wanted to show them. A large, weathered shack stood ahead of them. Several yards to its left was a large hole with a ladder to the side. A sign in front of the hole said, "To the Underground." Another sign was next to the shack, and it had the words, "Supplies for Underground Treks!" In smaller text was an added note. "General items are also for sale."

"This must have been the closest shop, even if it wasn't in town," Kyra said.

"It's good enough." Grisom recalled Aves. "No reason not to take a look."

They opened the creaking door to see several cluttered shelves and hooks with all sorts of digging equipment. An old man with a long, gray beard sat behind the desk. Despite his age, he perked up and spoke in a strong voice as they came inside. "Welcome! What can I do for you?"

"We were hoping to pick up a map of the region," Tenga said. Ranma jumped off his shoulder and began to look around the shop curiously as he continued. "Do you sell any?"

"I certainly do! Not many people need them, so I've got quite a few of them." The man turned towards the back and whistled. "Hey, Dusty, bring me a map!"

There was a moment of silence followed by scampering. A brown, fuzzy Pokémon with a white ring on its belly ran in, a map clutched tightly in its striped tail. It bounced onto the counter and offered the map to Tenga.

"Aw! So that's what a Sentret looks like," Kyra said. She recalled reading about them in Professor Cedar's house, but had not seen one until now.

"Thank you," Tenga said to the Sentret before taking the map. "How much?"

While Tenga was taking out the money necessary for the purchase, Ranma continued to poke at different areas on the shelves. He came back over as Tenga finished. A dusty disc was held in his beak.

"A TM? I didn't know you sold them," Tenga said.

The man blinked. "I don't. That one must have gotten mixed up in the stock. You can keep it, if it still works."

"I can't imagine a bit of dust would stop a TM," Grisom remarked.

"It's doubtful." Tenga examined it. "TM40, Aerial Ace. Nice find, Ranma." Ranma's feathers fluffed out in pride.

"I'll give it a good polishing later," Misya said as she put it away. "So what does the map say?"

Tenga unfolded it for them to look at. Each town and city was marked clearly on the map, along with roads that could be taken to reach them. One exception existed: the lower area of the continent has a wide area labeled 'Marsh' with a red circle enclosing most of it. It said, "Amethyst City is here… somewhere."

Misya's eye twitched. "That's really helpful."

"What's wrong?" The man looked over their shoulders to see what their problem was. "Oh, you were trying to get to Amethyst City? That's nearly impossible to find without Defog, and it's difficult even with that. Not many people journey there."

"Isn't there a badge to earn there?" Kyra asked. "I thought many people would want to get it."

"Yes, but remember that there are nine gyms in this region and only eight badges are needed," Grisom said. "I'm betting that's the one the majority of them skip."

"If it is that hard to find, waiting for the Weather Gym to open again would seem more logical," Tenga agreed.

"It would be a waste of time to try again without Defog, or at least some sort of method to find it," Kyra said. "We should come back later, if we need to."

"Definitely," Misya said. "Let's see what town is nearest and go to there instead."

"That's fine, but there's something I'd like to do while we're here," Grisom said. He indicated to the equipment for the Underground. "Can we rent some of those?"

"Of course! I will get them ready." The man approached the shelves to remove the necessary items while his Sentret assisted.

"Why do you want to do that?" Misya inquired.

"Remember that friend I mentioned who would be interested in my fossil? I have another friend who can transport it, and he hangs out in the Underground most of the time," Grisom explained. "I'm hoping we can find him so I can hand it over. Besides, there's some good stuff to find in the Underground. It can't hurt to spend a little while there."

"I am interested in it," Tenga said. "Despite reading about it, I have never seen it for myself."

"What is the Underground?" Kyra asked. "Besides the obvious."

"It's a series of tunnels where items can be dug up," Tenga answered. "Some of the most common items are orbs, shards, and fossils. Orbs are used as a currency in the Underground, but everything else you find can be kept for use when you leave."

"Some people like to play around there as well," Grisom added. "You can set harmless traps to mess around with other people. I've heard it described once as 'the fine art of trolling' if that makes any sense."

"To some extent," Tenga said wryly.

The man came over to hand them each a bag. "That should have all you need. Just return them when you're done."

"Thanks," Grisom said. "We'll be back soon."

They left the shack and went to the hole. One by one, they slowly climbed down the ladder into the depths of the earth. Despite going deeper, they were not left totally in the dark; a string of lights on each wall made it easy to see what they were doing.

"We'll have to wander around until we find him." Grisom took out a chisel and hammer from his pack. "If you see any spots that are likely to have loot, you're welcome to dig."

Tenga responded by walking to a section of the wall and tapping at it with his chisel. His companions watched silently until he removed a small pink object from the rock. "That was a good start."

"A Heart Scale. Lucky find, bookstore," Grisom said.

"What's a Heart Scale?" Kyra asked.

"They come from Luvdisc, and they're not easy to find. Bookstore could probably make some good money off that with collectors, or find someone who wants to trade for it," Grisom told her.

"No sense in not keeping it for now," Tenga said. Ranma watched curiously as Tenga put it away.

Enthused by Tenga's success, Kyra said, "I'll give it a try." She took out her own chisel to tap at a wall further down the tunnel. It took a while since she went slowly and quietly for Florian's sake. He did not seem overly nervous by it. After a good amount of time, Kyra extracted a small, yellow diamond.

"That's a Revive," Tenga said before Kyra could ask. "If a Pokémon is injured to the point of a Potion being ineffective, a Revive can usually help."

"I see. I'm glad I found it then," Kyra said. "Why don't you take a turn, Misya?"

"Sure." Misya looked at the rock walls intently until Hama pointed out one that seemed soft enough to dig at. Misya took the hammer and swung it at the wall. She yelped as the shock of the impact went through her arms, and the hammer ricocheted towards Hama. It flew through her without causing any damage as Hama sighed.

"I shouldn't have suggested letting the walking disaster have a hammer," Grisom remarked.

Misya rubbed her arms as she scowled at him. "I'm just glad Hama's a ghost."

"It appears that you did find something," Tenga said. They looked to see two oddly-shaped rocks at Misya's feet. When she lifted them, they saw that one had a leaf imprint on it, while the other was a miniature sun.

"That's a Leaf Stone and a Sun Stone," Grisom said. "They can be used to evolve certain Pokémon."

"You have one that can use them," Tenga stated. "You should keep them."

"They evolve Pokémon, huh…" Misya stored the stones in her pack with a troubled expression.

Kyra wanted to ask about her thoughts, but Grisom spoke before she could. "Aha, there he is." He strode away quickly towards a distant figure.

"Already? That was fast," Kyra said, making a mental note to talk to Misya later.

They followed Grisom over to the man he had spotted and caught the last bit of his sentence. "…and these are who I have been traveling with." He nodded to them. "This is Parker."

"Glad to meet you," Parker said. "Any friends of Grisom's are friends of mine."

"Yes, same to you," Kyra said as she took in his appearance.

"Parker, I recently came across this. I was wondering if you could show it to you-know-who." He handed Parker the Skull Fossil.

"Ah, I see. Sure thing," Parker answered. "I'll get in touch with you later to show the results."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Grisom said.

"I'm just about done here, so I'll be heading back to the surface," Parker told them. "We'll see each other again soon. Maybe then we can talk a bit more."

"Okay," Kyra replied. "Goodbye."

Once Parker was out of sight, Grisom said, "Now that that's taken care of, I guess I can give this a try." He took his hammer in hand and approached a wall. "Let's see if I can find anything good."

"I want to try again too," Misya declared. She went to her own section of the wall to begin hammering at it.

Grisom had no luck at first, but Misya came across an object quickly. She took out a blue orb from the wall that was roughly the size of her fist. "Is this one of the orbs you were talking about, Tenga?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "If we find a merchant down here, you might be able to trade it."

"Neat." She looked over at Grisom. "How're you doing?"

"I don't think I'm going to find anythi-Whoa!"

They all started at Grisom's shout, and the reason quickly became apparent. A thick, blue plate with six circles on its rim floated through the air towards them. Though Grisom had hit it directly with his hammer, not a dent showed on the metal. Its yellow eyes blinked at them slowly.

"A Pokémon?" Kyra exclaimed. "Down here?"

"Wild Pokémon are rarely ever seen here," Grisom said. "But this one seems stunned…" He took out a Poké Ball. "Why not?" The ball went flying to hit the Pokémon and seal it inside. Not one shake occurred.

"What was that thing?" Misya asked.

"A Bronzor," Tenga said. "They're known for having great defense."

"It's a Psychic and Steel type. That's not a bad combination." Grisom called out his new Pokémon to look it over. "Hm… Hagane sounds like a fitting name. I'll call you that."

"I can't tell what it's thinking," Kyra commented as it slowly spun in place.

"So long as it does what I ask it to in battle, it'll be fine." Grisom brought it back into its ball. "I think that's enough excitement in this place."

"Leaving so soon?" They turned at the sound of an unfamiliar voice to see a man who appeared to be a hiker approaching. His huge backpack was crammed full of all types of items.

"Yes. Are you a merchant?" Grisom asked.

"That I am. If any of you have some orbs you want to exchange, I'm the man to do it with."

Misya pulled out her blue orb. "Can I get anything for this?"

The merchant examined it carefully. "A good size for something that was dug out… I think I have just the thing for a girl like you." He reached into his pack and took out a stuffed doll that looked like a Glameow.

"Oh! It's so cute!" Misya took it from his hands and hugged it.

"Then we have a deal. Hope to see you again!" The merchant walked away with his new prize.

"Now I kind of wish I had found an orb," Kyra said as she watched Misya with her doll.

"You're into dolls?" Grisom asked.

Kyra gave him a confused look. "What's wrong with liking dolls? I think that one's nice."

"Eh, I don't know. Forget I mentioned it." Grisom turned to face the way they had come. "Let's return the equipment and move on."

"We have spent enough time here," Tenga agreed.

The walk and climb back was uneventful. They returned the items to the man in the shack before heading outside to plan their next course of action.

To be continued…


	26. A Bolt of Lightning

Due to having little time to plan other fanfiction chapters this week, I'll be doing another update here. Hoping to expand on other ones soon though.

***Chapter Twenty-Six: A Bolt of Lightning***

"If we can't go to Amethyst City, where should we head next?" Misya asked as they left the shop.

Tenga showed her the map. "We're actually quite close to Diamond City."

"The gym we skipped because we weren't ready yet?" Kyra recalled.

"We weren't then," Grisom said. "But I think now we're in pretty good shape. Three of us have six Pokémon now, while you have five. And most of us have had a Pokémon evolve, if not more than one."

Misya remained silent while Kyra said, "You can only carry six, right?"  
"Six at a time," Tenga confirmed. "The rest get sent back to your home location. Many trainers choose to have that be with the professor in their home town, while others have them go to their houses."

"So if I got more than six, Professor Cedar would receive them," Kyra said.

"Yep," Grisom said. "You could switch between the six by computer at any time by contacting him."

Misya appeared concerned at this. "Where would mine go? I don't have-er, I never decided anything like that."

"Maybe we could ask Professor Cedar to receive yours too?" Kyra suggested.

"That should work," Tenga said. "When we get to the next Pokémon Center, you can talk to him about it."

"Okay, thanks." Misya looked relieved at that.

"So nobody's against going back to Diamond City?" Grisom asked.

Tenga shrugged. "It's a logical choice."

"I'm fine with it," Misya said, and Kyra nodded.

"It shouldn't take us long to get there. We can take a route through the plains," Grisom said. "No obstacles there, unless we run into any crazy Pokémon."

"That was one good thing about the marsh," Kyra remarked. "None of them were there."

"You never know when we'll run into them again." Grisom started walking to the north. "Let's get moving. If we're quick, we may be able to make it there before nightfall."

"I'd love to be able to sleep in an actual bed again," Misya said dreamily while following him.

Kyra laughed. "No arguments there."

Though they were still a bit tired from their marsh expedition, being in an easier place to travel made them progress swiftly. Ranma spent the time running around and leaping on and off of Tenga's shoulders. He tried to peck Hama once to get her to join in on the activity, but her violent hiss in response caused him to give that up. Florian remained close to Kyra, even though she gave him a chance to run around as well. He remained quiet for a good while. Because of that, when he whimpered, Kyra took quick notice.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Tenga pointed at the sky, where they could see dark clouds rolling in. "A storm's coming."

"That won't be fun." Grisom sighed. "Well, no way to avoid it. We'll have to tough it out."

"Unfortunately," Misya muttered.

The rain began coming down in short order. Ranma showed his displeasure by shaking his wings multiple times and trying to get the water off them while failing miserably. Tenga recalled him to prevent anything worse from happening. The first crack of thunder that they heard nearly caused Florian to become petrified, so Kyra did the same for him. Misya offered Hama a chance to go in her Poké Ball, but she turned her nose up at the offering and stayed out.

"She really doesn't like being called back, does she?" Kyra spoke loudly so that her voice could be heard over the heavy raindrops.

"Yeah, and there's usually no reason to force it, so it works out," Misya said. Hama spun around her, causing Misya to look amused. "Okay, there hasn't been any reason to force it. Yet."

Grisom broke through their conversation. "Do any of you see something up ahead?"

They went silent to look, with Tenga finally saying, "I think so. It looks like there are two silhouettes."

"Pokémon?" Misya asked. "Or humans? Or neither?"

"Judging by the size, I'd say Pokémon," Grisom said. "Let's take a look."

Trying their best to go straight ahead while ignoring the occasional cracks of thunder, they soon arrived upon the curious scene. One of the Pokémon was a brown creature that stood on its hind legs and had a short tail. Other than its red eyes, its face could not be seen due to a white skull covering it. It carried a bone in its left hand like a club. Directly across from it was an Eevee that had its fur up and was growling fiercely.

"Another Eevee?" Kyra said in surprise.

"Oh hey, it's a new Pokémon for you," Grisom said with a smirk.

Kyra's retort was cut off by Tenga saying, "That's a Marowak. They aren't seen very often in the wild."

"Do you think it's one of the crazy Pokémon?" Misya said worriedly. "The Eevee seems fine, but I can't tell with the other one."

"If it is, I'll have to deal with it," Grisom stated.

The Eevee barked viciously at the Marowak. It drew back its club, seeming ready to strike, when suddenly a third Pokémon walked over. The two of them stared in disbelief at the Riolu that simply went between them, not caring at all about the fight they were about to have.

"I don't get it. Why does he keep showing up? Is he following us?" Misya wondered.

"Somehow, I get the feeling he's just lost," Tenga said. "Thus we keep finding him by coincidence. Or he finds us."

With the Riolu now gone, the Eevee and Marowak turned back to each other. Kyra had decided to take action by this point and went over to them. "That's enough! Why are you two trying to fight? If you have a good reason, explain it to me!"

They looked at her in surprise. The Eevee then turned its head away and pawed at the ground a bit, seeming embarrassed. The Marowak merely snorted and brought out an item in its right hand.

"A Poké Ball! He must belong to a trainer!" Misya realized.

"Did you get separated from your trainer?" Kyra asked. The Marowak nodded. "And now you're trying to find him?" Another nod.

"So he isn't crazy," Misya said. "That's a good thing."

"Then why did you try to fight him?" Kyra said to the Eevee. It responded by walking in a determined circle and then sitting down. "Um… …Oh, is this your territory?"

"I wouldn't have guessed that from its movements," Grisom commented as the Eevee confirmed it. "She really does have a gift with them."

"And you insist on fighting anyone who comes into your territory?" Kyra sighed as the Eevee jumped up and down. "If you're so determined to do that, then fight one of my Pokémon. We're trespassing too, right?"

The Eevee considered this, and then nodded.

Kyra directed to the Marowak, "We've been traveling a lot. If you would like, we could help you find your trainer. We're already doing that for several Pokémon that we found. Want to come with us?"

In response, the Marowak tossed the ball up and vanished into it. Kyra picked it up to store. "Maybe we should have these sent to Professor Cedar too, even if they aren't our own Pokémon."

"It would probably be safer," Tenga agreed.

Seeing the Eevee wiggling with impatience, Kyra took out one of her own Poké Balls. "I promised you a battle, so let's get it over with. Ilya, go!"

Ilya popped out to survey the situation. She caught sight of the Eevee and smiled widely.

"Apparently she already has a plan," Tenga said.

"This Eevee wants a battle," Kyra said to Ilya. "Are you up for it?"

Looking over the Eevee again, Ilya began to approach it while waving her tail. As a flash of lightning occurred, her tail stretched over her face, in a pattern that appeared erotic to even the human viewers. The wild Eevee watched in fascination.

"I guess that tells us what gender he is," Misya said in exasperation.

With her opponent completely under her spell, Ilya suddenly darted forward and slammed him in the head with a full-body tackle. The Eevee crashed to the ground, eyes swirling.

"Good work, Ilya!" Kyra said as Ilya strutted back.

Grisom raised an eyebrow as he watched Kyra pet her. "You aren't going to catch him?"

"I'd feel guilty if I did that," Kyra answered. "He just wanted to fight."

"That's all, you say?" Tenga pointed down.

When they looked at where he was indicating to, they saw the Eevee was on his feet and staring at Ilya. He approached and flopped over, rolling on his back. Ilya looked at him for a moment before sniffing and weaving between Kyra's legs to go behind her.

"I think her Attract worked _too_ well," Tenga observed.

"Oh dear," Misya said. "So now he wants to follow her like a stalker?"

"Love at first sight," Grisom said. "But this gives you the perfect excuse to capture him. You already have five Eevees-or had, with your Espeon. Why not take this one too?"

"That's true, but…" Kyra knelt down to look at the Eevee. "Do you want to come with me to stay near Ilya?" He instantly nodded, and she turned to Ilya. "Are you okay with that?" Ilya gave the Eevee an exasperated look before slowly nodding as well. "All right then. I guess I have no reason to argue." She tossed a Poké Ball at the Eevee, who stayed in it until she released him again.

"What will you call him?" Misya asked.

"I think Leon will be fine." Kyra watched Leon approach Ilya again, only to be batted on the nose. "I hope they'll be okay together."

"Ilya's loyal to you," Grisom said. "If the situation calls for her to work with Leon for your benefit, she'll do it. Doesn't mean she'll like him, but she'll do it."

"It's like some people," Misya added. "They don't like each other when they first meet, but after being together for a while, they get along."

"Right." Seeing that the two Eevees were soaked, Kyra recalled both of them. "As… strange as that was, we should keep going."

"I'm all for getting out of this rain," Grisom agreed.

Unanimous in the decision to prevent being wet any longer than necessary, the group set forth once more.

To be continued…


End file.
